The Federal Government has dragged the Nigerian Bottling Company, Coca-Cola Nigeria and the chief executives of both firms before a Federal High Court in Abuja for criminal breach of the Consumer Protection Council Act.
This was disclosed by a statement from the CPC on Monday which says that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, in the charges filed before the court, preferred a charge against NBC and its managing director and two charges against Coca-Cola Nigeria limited and its chief executive, making them liable to jail terms ranging from three to five years, if found guilty.
The government, in the charge against the chief executives, alleged that the two accused persons had committed an offence by violating the orders of the Consumer Protection Council by “deliberately failing, refusing and/or neglecting to comply with the Council’s orders duly made and served on you and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21 of the CPC Act, Cap C. 25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”
In the first count of the two charges against Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and its Managing Director, Mr. Adeola Adetunji, the government alleged that the two accused persons had committed an offence by refusing to “attend the hearing of the consumer protection council held in Abuja in relation to investigation of violation of product quality standard under the CPC Act.
“This was after summons were duly issued and served on you and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 of the CPC Act Cap C. 25 of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”
Coca-Cola and its Chief Executive, as in the case of NBC, were also charged for violating the orders of the council by deliberately refusing to comply with the order duly made and served on them.
The statement added that the two criminal cases had been listed before Justice E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court 8, Abuja and a date was yet to be fixed for the hearing of the cases.
CPC had earlier this year found NBC and Coca-Cola culpable following its findings from the administrative panel set up over a consumer complaint regarding two half-empty cans of Sprite manufactured by Nigerian Bottling Company Limited under the licence and authority of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited.
