FoI suit: UPTH again stalls hearing via disobedience to court order

The suit which was billed for hearing was subsequently adjourned till November 28, 2019, after the plaintiff’s counsel, Barr Kingdom Chukwuezie prayed the court not to grant the UPTH and its Chief Medical Director’s legal representative the right of audience.

Barr Chukwuezie hinged his application on the fact that the 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit have not paid the awarded cost of N20,000 to Mr Lenu as ordered by the court and urged the court to deem them foreclosed.

You recall that the plaintiff (Mark Lenu) had made an application to receive certain information from the Ist defendant (UPTH) and the 2nd defendant (Chief Medical Director of UPTH) in respect to the names of the consultants and medical doctors that are working as staff of the hospital.

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The plaintiff had also requested for the salaries that UPTH received as budget in favour of its staff from the federal government in 2017/2018 and further requested for the amount of money the 1st and 2nd defendants remitted as unspent budget being part of the said money.

Briefing our correspondent, Barr Chukwuezie said: “The plaintiff counsel applied to the court not to grant audience to the 1st and 2nd defendants upon the fact that they have not complied with the order of the court with respect to the awarded cost.

“And the plaintiff counsel further applied to the court to deem them foreclosed from arguing their applications since they are in disobedience to the order of the court.

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“But counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants pleaded with the court for a little more time that the institution involved has a procedure which is ongoing and that they will need a little time to exhaust the procedure and comply with the court order.

“The court was of the view that it will be in the interest of justice to allow them since they have prayed the court to give them more time.

“The case was subsequently adjourned to the 28th day of November 2019 for the hearing of the suit.”