An Abuja High Court in Apo has fixed January 29, 2025, for the hearing of a N5.2 billion suit brought against a Chinese man, Li Xing, over allegations of making false claims against his former employer.

Justice F. A Aliyu fixed the date in the suit marked: CV/4554/2024 filed on behalf of the claimant by his lawyer, Eloka Okoye, of the firm of Kehinde and Partners LP.

Mr Li, an ex-employee of Pure Biotech Company Ltd, is accused of making false claims of tax evasion, money laundering and forgery against a fellow Chinese man, Liu Yangxi (the Managing Director of Pure Biotech), who recently fired him for alleged misconduct.

Mr Liu stated, in the statement of claim, that Mr Li, without any justification, maliciously carried out a campaign of calumny against him by sending an email to the FIRS, accusing him of tax evasion, money laundering, among others.

He added that the defendant also published malicious falsehoods against him to companies in which he had interests, with the intention to tarnish his image and reputation in the minds of those companies.

Mr Liu, who is the claimant, added that the defendant’s letters to the agencies such as the FIRS, EFCC, Weihai International Economic and Technical Corporation Co. Ltd in China were malicious falsehood targeted at injuring his reputation and “as a vendetta for terminating his (defendant’s) employment with Pure Biotech Company Ltd.

The claimant is praying the court to, among others, order Mr Li to pay him N5 billion as general damages and N20 million for aggravated/exemplary damages for malicious falsehood.

He also wants the court to declare the letters written by the defendants against him to the FIRS, EFCC, Weihai International, among others, as amounting to malicious falsehood.

Justice Aliyu had fixed January 29, 2025 for hearing, before which Mr Li is expected to file his defence.

(NAN)