The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Efcc

  • Travel agent in prison for stealing N10m worth of airline tickets

     

    Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced a travel agent, Babawale Ponle, to two years’ imprisonment for misappropriating N10m worth of airline tickets.

     

    Ponle, who is the Managing Director of Travel Doctor Limited, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on four counts bordering on stealing and issuance of dud cheques.

     

     

    It was gathered that Ponle was given the tickets on credit by a travel company, Sound Travel Services Limited.

     

    The prosecutor, Samuel Daji, said Ponle committed the offence between March and December 2012.

     

    According to the EFCC, Ponle issued two dud cheques to Sound Travel Services Limited in the sum of N3m and N7m.

     

    The offences contravened Section 285(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015 and Section 1 of the Dishonoured Cheques Offences Act.

     

    However, during his defence, Ponle told the court that he sold the tickets on credit.

     

    Delivering her judgement, Justice Taiwo, who noted that the prosecution proved that the N10m was diverted for personal use, found Ponle guilty of the charges.

     

    She said, “This court is mindful of the fact that this case emanated from a business arrangement between the defendant and the complainant. However, the defendant, since 2013, failed to pay anything to the complainant. The court is satisfied that he used out of the N10m for his personal use.

     

    “In the light of this fact, I hereby sentenced the defendant to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of N250,000. On the two counts of issuance of dud cheques, I hereby sentence the defendant to one year in prison or a fine of N200,000.”

     

    The judge, however, noted that the court would not order restitution because the complainant had already been awarded restitution via a civil suit.

     

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    In a related development, Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the remand of an insurance broker, Abiodun Hassan, for the misappropriation of N26bn.

     

    Hassan was arraigned alongside his company, Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited, by the EFCC on five counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds.

     

    According to the EFCC, Hassan allegedly diverted the money, meant for the payment of premiums and claims of deceased and incapacitated staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, into the corporate accounts of some entities.

     

    He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

     

    Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till March 4, 2021, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered the remand of the defendant in the custody of the EFCC.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Kalu re-arraigned by EFCC on N70bn charge,

     

     

    A former governor of  Abia State and Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu on Tuesday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from prosecuting him on the same offence of allegedly laundering N7.1 billion.

     

    According to him, having been tried once by EFCC, convicted and sentenced in the same charges FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007, it would amount to double jeopardy for him if subjected to a fresh trial on same charge.

     

     

    Kaku in an ex-parte motion moved before Justice Inyang Ekwo by his counsel, Prof. Awa Kalu (SAN), pleaded with the court to rescue him from double jeopardy.

     

    The politician further sought for an order of court stopping the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the EFCC, its officers, servants, others, agents, privies and any other person or bodies from retrying him in the case with charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007.

     

    The ex-governor also applied for an order prohibiting the EFCC and other agencies of government from retrying, harassing and intimidating him with respect to the charge with Ref. No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007 between FRN Vs Orji Kalu and two others or any other charge based on same facts as he need not suffer double jeopardy.

     

    Kalu further asked that should his application be granted, it should operate as a stay of proceedings until the determination of the application or until the Judge otherwise orders.

     

    Meanwhile, his arraignment slated for Tuesday was suspended as EFCC applied that his trial be transferred from Abuja to the Lagos Division of the FHC.

     

    When the matter came up, the prosecution counsel, Chile Okoroma told Justice Ekwo that the EFCC had written two letters to the Chief Judge seeking for the movement of the trial to Lagos in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment.

     

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    While insisting that prosecuting Kalu in Abuja would amount to an exercise in futility and disobedience to Supreme Court order, the EFCC sought for an order that would ensure his arraignment at any time to allow the transfer of the case to Lagos, based on the letters to the Chief Judge of the Court.

     

    But Justice Ekwo declined to grant indefinite adjournment and fixed June 7, 2021 for report of the Chief Judge on the transfer request.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 16 suspected Internet fraudsters arrested in Lagos by EFCC

     

    The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested 16 suspects in the Lekki area of the state for alleged Internet fraud.

    Some of the suspects are Habeeb Adebayo, Marcus Wisdom, Caleb Ezekiel, Akinduro Henry, Osarobo Osasere, and Oyelami Olatunji.

     

    Others are Pelumi Glory, Ehibor Joseph, Emmanuel Timileyin, Jefta Akpan, Okirhie Rukewe, Oxford Robbinson, Onyeka Odika, Uzoma Gideon, Adebayo Oluwatobi, and Isreal Ugochukwu.

    A statement on Monday by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed that the suspects were rounded up on January 21 at the Ziroc Residence Hotel, Lekki, by operatives who had been tracking their activities.

     

    “Upon interrogation, they all confessed to engaging in different forms of computer-related fraud, including romance and love scam.

     

    “A further analysis of their mobile devices and computers also confirmed their involvement in Internet fraud,” the statement added.

     

    The EFCC said the suspects would soon be arraigned in court, adding that investigations had been concluded.

     

    In a related development, Justice F. O. Riman of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday ordered the remand of one Inibehe Eden over a forex deal worth N6.2m.

     

    According to the EFCC, Eden collected the sum from one Inime Umanah in July 2017, under the pretext of helping him to invest in forex.

     

    The complainant was said to have agreed to the deal with a profit-sharing formula of 80 to 20 per cent for investor and trader, respectively.

     

    Umanah, according to the arrangement, was also to get 30 per cent of the invested capital monthly through the suspect’s trading system, Eden System-FX.

     

    However, the complainant never got the promised interest and efforts to get back the invested sum proved abortive.

     

    Eden was arraigned on one count of obtaining by false pretences.

    He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Following his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Nwandu Ukoha, asked the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.

     

    Justice Riman adjourned the matter until January 28, 2021, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be rema nded in the custody of the EFCC.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com