Man remanded in prison for alleged $2.1m fraud
A suspect, Vincent Ogbo Nwankwo, was recently arraigned before a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly obtaining goods worth $2,124,000 by false pretence. He was subsequently remanded in prison by the trial judge. Nwankwo was arraigned before Justice. K. A. Jose by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count […]
A suspect, Vincent Ogbo Nwankwo, was recently arraigned before a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja for allegedly obtaining goods worth $2,124,000 by false pretence. He was subsequently remanded in prison by the trial judge.
Nwankwo was arraigned before Justice. K. A. Jose by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques.
The prosecutor alleged that the accused obtained some industrial machines and equipment valued at $2,124,000 from Mann International India PVT Ltd and Jugi-mann International Ltd on credit, with the understanding that he would pay for the goods by a certain date but he did not.
Nwankwo was also accused of allegedly issuing Diamond Bank cheques with numbers 0433140 and 04321400 in the sum of N8.3 million to Jugi-mann International Ltd as part of the payment for the goods but the cheques were dishonoured by the bank for lack of funds in his account to meet the value of the said cheques.
The alleged offence committed by Nwankwo , according to the EFCC, was contrary to sections 1(2) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 13 of 1995 as amended by Act No.2 of 1997 and sections 1 (a)(1) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offances) Act, 2004.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when it was read to him. Justice Jose ordered that he should be remanded in the prison custody and adjourned the matter till March 16, 2016 for hearing of bail application and trial.
In a related development, a 46 year-old man, Eno Johnson, was arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Ikeja, for allegedly obtaining a Volvo car XC 70 under the pretence of selling and remitting the proceed to the owner which he knew was false.
The accused was also arraigned before Magistrate O. A. Olayinka, for allegedly converting the sum of N1.2 million to his personal use, being property of one Fatima Nwandu. He was said to have committed the alleged offence in March 2015 at Surulere, Lagos.
Johnson was docked on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence preferred against him by police. However, when the charge was read to him, he pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuehi, told the court that the offence is punishable under section 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The magistrate granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties who must show evidence of payment of two years tax. The matter was then adjourned till March 28, 2016.