Ololade Adeyanju/
Long wait for legal advice has pitched a limited liability company against the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Lagos State.
Dangroup Investment and Finance Limited has dragged the DPP before an Ikeja High Court, urging the court to compel the DPP to issue legal advice in a case whose file has been sent to it since December 14, 2016.
The firm joined the Attorney General of Lagos State as co-respondent in the suit.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the company, Barrister Olusegun Alalade, has written a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), urging the commission to investigate seven officials working in the office of the DPP Lagos State Ministry of Justice, at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
The petitioners stated that those mentioned were corruptly exploiting the power of their respective positions to suppress and prevent the prosecution of a criminal complaint lodged with and investigated by the Zone ‘2’ Command of the Nigeria Police Force, at Onikan, in Lagos.
Dangroup has lodged a written criminal complaint for police investigation dated 5th October, 2015.
The firm told NewsmakersNG that the police carried out their investigations over a period of about 12 months and came up with criminal indictments against three persons, namely Olufemi Alalade, Olusola Alalade, and Raphael Gbadebo Olatunde.
The petitioners stated: “The Police, due to the persistent interference of a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police exercised caution by first sending the police duplicate file to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice and refrained from charging them to court until legal advice is received from that office.
“However some officials of the DPP listed in the petition were alleged to have, with the assistance of the retired Deputy inspector General of Police name (withheld), conspired to suppress and prevent any action being taken on the matter.”
Alalade, in his affidavit, described the failure to offer legal opinion for 13 months without explanation as abandonment of official duty in which the court should intervene on his behalf. Consequently, he urged the court to grant his request by compelling the respondents to offer legal advice.
Meanwhile, the respondents have filed an application for extension of time to file their response after the presiding Judge, Justice O.A. Adamson has fixed May 18, 2018 for judgement.
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