Alleged N1.3bn fraud: Court order arrest of Dana Air MD
Omeiza Bilal
A federal high court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant on the managing director of Dana Air, Hathiramani Ranesh, over his refusal to appear in court for trial.
Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, issued the arrest warrant on Monday while ruling on an application brought by the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).
“Why are the defendants absent,” Egwuatu asked about the Ranesh’s whereabouts from his lawyer, Ademola Bello.
The defence lawyer said he was not in the country, adding that the other two defendants are statutory bodies of which Ranesh is their Managing Director.
Bello said the jurisdictional issues raised in their preliminary objection should first be addressed.
“Are we playing here? Where is the respect for the court when the people you are defending are not in court,” the judge asked.
However, the lawyer responded with section 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
We urge the court to be guided by this provision,” he said.
Egwuatu ordered that Ranesh be arrested and brought to the court on the next adjourned date.
“The 1st defendant is bound to appear before the court and if he does not, the court can issue a warrant for his arrest,” Egwuatu said.
“Accordingly relying on the said provision, I hereby issued a warrant of arrest for the arrest of the 1st defendant
“The defendant shall appear before this court on the 13th of January, 2025, before any objection can be taken.”
The AGF had filed a six-count charge against Ranesh and two others.
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/101/2021, Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd are joined as second and third defendants, respectively.
On October 10, Mojisola Okeya, counsel to the AGF, made an oral application for Ranesh’s arrest over his refusal to appear for his arraignment in the alleged N1.3 billion fraud case.
It was reported that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) filed a six-count charge against Mr. Hathiramani Ranesh and two others. In the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/101/2021 and filed by Moshood Adeyemi, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the office of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd were named as the 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.
In count one, Ranesh and the two companies, along with others still at large, were alleged to have committed a felony between September and December 2018 at the DANA Steel Rolling Factory in Katsina.
They were accused of conspiring to remove, convert, and sell four units of industrial generators—three units Ht of 9,000 KVA and one unit of 1,000 KVA—valued at over N450 million. These assets were reportedly part of the Deed of Asset Debenture used as collateral for a bond, which remains valid.
Count three alleges that the defendants and others at large conspired to fraudulently divert N864 million between April 7th and 8th, 2014, at House No. 116, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Isolo-Lagos.
This sum, reportedly part of the bond proceeds from Ecobank intended for revitalizing production at Dana Steel Rolling Factory in Katsina, was allegedly diverted for unauthorized purposes.
