The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant for Hathiramani Ranesh, Managing Director of Dana Air, following his repeated failure to appear in court for trial.
Presiding Judge Obiora Egwuatu issued the warrant on Monday after a request from the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
Ranesh faces six charges brought by the AGF, with Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Limited also named as co-defendants in the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/101/2021. The charges relate to alleged involvement in a N1.3 billion fraud.
On October 10, the AGF’s counsel, Mojisola Okeya, sought Ranesh’s arrest due to his absence at previous court appearances.
When questioned by the judge about Ranesh’s whereabouts, his lawyer, Ademola Bello, stated that Ranesh was out of the country and emphasized that the other defendants, being statutory entities, could not appear independently.
Judge Egwuatu expressed frustration over Ranesh’s absence, questioning the respect for court proceedings when defendants failed to show up.
Despite the defense’s argument on preliminary jurisdictional issues, the court upheld the arrest warrant to ensure Ranesh’s presence at future hearings.
