The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has granted a stay of execution of an Abuja Federal High Court ruling which ordered the remand of the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Okoh, in prison custody.

Justice Anwuli Chikere had, on December 17, ordered that Okoh be remanded in prison for 30 days for disobeying a June 6, 2012 judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed Bancorp Financial Investment Group as the true owner of the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria.

A statement issued by the Head, Public Communications in the BPE, Amina Othman, said a panel of the court of appeal, presided over by Justices S. J. Adah, R. M. Abdulahi and M. B. Idris, ordered the stay of execution on Monday while ruling on the appeal numbered CA/A/117/M/2019.

The court directed all the parties to maintain the status quo ante pending the hearing and determination of the motion fixed for January 20, 2020.

The court restraining the respondent, the Chief Registrar of the Abuja FHC, and law enforcement agents from arresting or imprisoning Okoh, pursuant to the ruling of the lower court.

“The Bureau had at all times complied with all judgments in respect of ALSCON, however, BFIG has consistently failed to meet its financial commitments as directed by the courts to pay the bid price of USD$410m as submitted by BFIG in 2004,” BPE added in the statement.

The legal tussle over ownership of the aluminum plant is between BFIG, an indigenous company, and a Russian firm, Rusal.

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