A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos,Thursday adjourned the trial of a Lagos-based surgeon, Dr. Anuoluwapo Adepoju, facing litigation over obstructing investigation into an alleged failed plastic surgery.
Adepoju is charged alongside her clinic, MedContour Services Ltd., on five counts centering on refusal to honour an invitation for investigation and failure to produce an investigation document.
She was arraigned on July 3 alongside her medical outfit, before Justice Mohammed Liman.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had in April sealed the medical outfit, a plastic surgery hospital, over suspicions of illegal activities.
The FCCPC had posted on its official Twitter handle that it had commenced an investigation, in April, into a case of failed plastic surgery performed by the first defendant, Anuoluwapo, in her hospital.
After the defendants were arraigned on July 3, the court fixed July 8 for the prosecution to open its case.
The prosecutor, Mr Babatunde Irukera, also the Director-General, FCCPC, had told the court that he had only two witnesses.
However, the case could not proceed on Thursday as scheduled as the court was not on session. A new date for the trial will be communicated to parties.
Adepoju was accused of failing to appear before the FCCPC in compliance with the commission’s summons dated April 15.
She was also accused of failing to produce documents which she was required to as requested by the commission’s notice of investigation, dated April 14 and, obstructing the commission from carrying out its investigation into the said issue.
According to the FCCPC, she violated the sections 11(1)(a), 33(1)(a), 110, 113(1)(a) and 159(4) of the FCCPC Act, 2018.
However, Adepoju pleaded not guilty to all the counts. The court granted her bail on self recognizance.
The court had overruled a preliminary objection by the defence, challenging the charge against the defendants.
The judge also upheld the submissions of the prosecution that the criminal jurisdiction of the Federal High Court was activated by the provisions of Sections 251(f) of the Constitution.
