Two Suspected Fraudsters Arraigned for €61,500 Scam (PHOTOS)
Find the EFCC press statement below...
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned two suspected fraudsters, Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page) and Aikhaituamen Best Junior Cyril, before Justice E.F. Ikponmwen of the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin, on charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The duo however pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to them on November 21, 2014.
The
accused persons are alleged to have fleeced a 49 year-old Belgian
nurse, Goryczka Janina, whom they met on Facebook, of the sum of fifty
five thousand, five hundred Euros.
The
victim allegedly met one of the accused persons sometime in January,
2014, who introduced himself as “Collins Page”, a Croatian Engineer
resident in Wigan, England.
Within
days of their meeting, “Page” contacted her with the story that he was
in Nigeria to supervise a construction project in Edo State and that he
was having difficulty with his credit card as it had been blocked for
security reasons. He solicited Janina’s assistance for desperate cash.
Over
the next few weeks, Janina kept sending him money until she had
transferred a total of €61,500 through one Emmanuel Okoh based in Cape
Town, South Africa and Messrs Junior Best and Cyril Ojiemen.
When
‘Mr. Page’ pressurized her for more money, Janina confided in a friend
who told her that she might have fallen into the hands of scammers.
In
view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecuting counsel, G. K.
Latono asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand them in
prison custody.
Counsel
to the first accused person, P. E. Onobun and counsel to the second
accused C. N. Dike prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable
them file applications for bail.
Justice
Ikponmwen adjourned the case to December 8, 2014 for consideration of
bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison
custody.
Two of the charges against Xavi read:
Count-1: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page), Aikhaituamen Best Junior, Ojiemen Cyril (still at Large) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large) sometime between January and February 2014 at Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain money by false pretence from Goryczka Janina, offences contrary to and punishable by Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”.
Count-1: “Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page), Aikhaituamen Best Junior, Ojiemen Cyril (still at Large) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at Large) sometime between January and February 2014 at Benin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain money by false pretence from Goryczka Janina, offences contrary to and punishable by Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”.
Count-2:
“Gabriel Osereme Xavi (a.k.a. Collins Page) and Emmanuel Okoh (still at
Large) on or about the 31st day of January, 2014 at Benin within the
Jurisdiction of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained
the sum of €40,000 (Forty Thousand Euro) from Goryczka Janina on the
false representation that you were a Croatian Engineer handling a road
construction project in Edo State, Nigeria and the money was for
purchase of equipment and materials towards the project, which
representation you knew to be false”.
