N36m fraud: Why I issued my supplier dud cheques – rice trader

The trial of a Lagos-based trader, Mrs Vivian Onwuka, and her company, A.V.K Investment Limited, for alleged N36 million fraud over supply of rice continued at the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday. Mrs Onwuka told the trial judge, Justice James Tsoho, that the dud cheques she allegedly issued to the complainant were not meant for […]

The trial of a Lagos-based trader, Mrs Vivian Onwuka, and her company, A.V.K Investment Limited, for alleged N36 million fraud over supply of rice continued at the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday.

Mrs Onwuka told the trial judge, Justice James Tsoho, that the dud cheques she allegedly issued to the complainant were not meant for presentation to the bank for payment, but as a guarantee to assure the complainant, Maliiinson and Partners Limited of payment if the bags of rice she would be supplying her in a follow-up process to an initial supply turned out to be good.

The defendant, while being led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr C.A. Nnakwe, said the quality of rice Maliiinson and Partners Limited had initially supplied was bad.

She added that when her customers started complaining about the bad quality, she called the attention of the supplier, who visited her at her Dalemo market, Isolo, Lagos, shop to verify her claim.

Consequently, she said, she held a meeting with Maliiinson and Partners Limited, where it was agreed the latter would supply her good quality of rice that she would mix with the bad rice and sell to avert losses for her.

Onwuka said that based on that agreement, she issued three cheques amounting to N51m in favour of Maliiinson and Partners to assure the supplier of payment if the company kept to its agreement. She added that until the issue became a subject of police investigation, the complainant didn’t comply with the agreement, necessitating her husband’s refusal to confirm the cheques.

The defendant also told the court that as a result of the bad quality of rice Maliiinson and Partners allegedly supplied her, the Daleko Market Women and Men’s Association fined her a sum of N150,000.

An attempt by the defendant’s lawyer to tender the receipt for the fine said to have been issued by the Daleko Market Association was objected to by the prosecuting counsel, Mr E. A. Jackson, from the Police Fraud Unit, Alagbon, Lagos.

Jackson, in his objection to the admissibility of the receipt, submitted that the name on the receipt was that of one Iya Kanayo and not that of the defendant (Vivian Onwuka).

He further said there were discrepancies in the amount written on the receipt, as there was also an alteration in the date.

The prosecutor said that while N150 was written in words as the amount paid, N150,000 was written in figures.

He, therefore, urged the court not to admit the document.

Justice Tsoho rejected the document on the ground of the discrepancies on the face of the document, as canvassed by Jackson.