Chartered accountant arraigned for perjury
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, arraigned a 72-year-old visually impaired man, Murtala Adebayo, before a Special Offences Court, Ikeja, over alleged N19 million fraud.
Adebayo was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on a three-count charge.
His offence bordered on obtaining money by pretence. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecuting counsel, Babangida Isah, prayed the court for a trial date while the defendant’s counsel, Bamidele Ogundele, urged the court to grant the defendant bail.
Ogundele said he had filed a bail application, dated January 24, but the prosecution informed the court that he needed time to go through the bail application.
The defendant’s counsel, however, prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable him to move the bail application.
He said the defendant had health issues and was visually impaired, and prayed the court for a short adjournment for the bail application to be heard because of the defendant’s health status.
Earlier, the prosecution had told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence sometime in 2015 and 2019 in Lagos.
Isah said that the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained N4.5 million from one Gafar Ademolake by falsely informing him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo Ajah, Lagos, a presentation he knew to be false.
The prosecutor submitted that the defendant also collected N5.5 million from the complainant as part of the payment for 18 plots of land in Ayogbemi Village, Ibeju-Lekki, which he knew to be false.
He further alleged that the defendant collected two Toyota Camry 2005 Model cars and one Honda Accord 2006 Model, valued at N9 million from the complainant, that the payment was for the balance of the 18 plots of land in Ibeju, a presentation he knew to be false.
His offences contravene the provision of Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
After listening to their submission, Justice Dada adjourned till February 9, 2023, for a hearing of the bail application, and remanded the defendant in EFCC’s custody, pending hearing and determination of his bail application.
SIMILARLY, a chartered accountant, Omafume Augustina Ayinuola, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court, Lagos, for allegedly lying on oath to obtain an international passport.
Ayinuola was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Olayiwola Ogundare on a three-count charge of false information brought against him by the operatives of Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID) Annex Alagbon-Ikoyi Lagos.
The defendant was alleged to have concealed material facts and made a false disposition on affidavit.
It would be recall that the chartered accountant and her mother, Lydia Abosede Ehrievuyere, were formerly arraigned during the court’s long vacation on August 16, 2023, on criminal charges of conspiracy, forgery, stealing, and fraud regarding N1.072,254, 411 billion and $975,102.58.
She had since been in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), following a remand order issued by the court.
The prosecuting counsel, Morufu Animashaun, told the court that the defendant, on March 20, 2023, proceeded to Minna, Niger State capital, to procure another international passport, in a bid to evade investigation and prosecution of an alleged crime of N1.072,254, 411 billion and $975,102.58, being investigated by the Interpol Section of the ForceCID.
Animashaun also told the court that the defendant, in a bid to procure the new international passport, concealed and failed to disclose the true material facts at Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Niger State Minna Command, that her passport, NO. BO0939532, was not lost.
He further told the court that the defendant also deposed to an affidavit at the High Court Minna, Niger State, stating that her international passport was lost in transit, a fact she knew to be false.
He told the court that her offences contradict the provision of Sections 1(1) (d) and 1(1) (f) of Passport Miscellaneous Provision Act 2004 and are punishable under Section 1(2) of the same Passport (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 2004.
And also section 117 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C38 Laws of the Federation 2004 (as amended) and punishable under Section 118 of the same Criminal Code Act Cap C38 Laws of the Federation 2004 (as amended)
She pleaded not guilty to the charge and the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date.
The defendant’s counsel, Olubusola Ashiru, did not oppose the prosecutor’s request.
Justice Ogundare subsequently adjourned till February 22 and 24, for trial.
