Court orders arrest of Edo A-G over dispute in Bendel Brewery

THE long standing dispute over the management of Bendel Breweries Limited has taken a new twist, with the Federal High Court, sitting in Benin, issuing a bench warrant fort he arrest of the Attorney-General of Edo State.The order for the arrest was made as a result of the failure of the Attorney-General to appear personally before the judge despite an earlier criminal summons to answer to the committal proceedings commenced by Churchgate Industries Limited.The suit has instituted by Churchgate to challenge the alleged arbitrary and illegal action of Edo State Government in forcibly ejecting it from the management of the Bendel Brewery on June 17, 2003.The committal proceedings were based on the refusal of Edo state Government to obey an order of interlocutory injunction made in 2003 by Justice Auta, restraining the Edo State Government from interferring with Churchgate Industries Limited's management of Bendel Brewery, amongst several other injunction reliefs. The order of injunction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin on October 17, 2006.In issuing the order for arrest, the Judge, Mr. Justice Adamu Hobon ordered the Commissioner of Police, Edo State, toe ensure that the order is complied forthwith. The case was further adjourned to 30 January, 2012 for hearing of the committal proceedings.The arrest order on the Attorney-General of Edo State is another chapter in the legal tussle between Churchgate Industries Limited and the Edo State government over the management and control of Bendel Brewery.Bendel Brewery Limited was previously owned and managed by Edo State government before it became insolvent as a result of alleged mismanagement while under government control and had to be closed down.The management of the brewery was later ceded to Churchgate Industries via a management agreement with the Edo State government in 1992, following which Churchgate reactivated the then moribund brewery, recalled its staff and resumed production activities.
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