Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman, Innoson Motors Nigeria
Limited, on Wednesday failed to make an appearance at an Ikeja High
Court for his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) on charges of fraud and stealing.
PoliticsNGR learnt that Chukwuma was to be arraigned alongside his company, Innoson Motors Limited, and Charles Chukwuma.
The defendants, however, failed to appear for their scheduled arraignment to the consternation of the anti-graft agency.
Mr
U. Onwukwe, the counsel to the defendants told the court that he had
filed an application
challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear
the case.
“We have an application objecting to the jurisdiction of this court and it was filed on Jan. 15.
“My
client has not been served, when this matter was filed, the EFCC went
to social media, and it was through social media that we became aware
and we have not been served.
“The EFCC arrested them and they
know where they reside, they granted the second defendant (Innocent
Chukwuma) bail on self recognition.
He said he was told to come to EFCC office on Feb. 20, and in December, they went ahead to file these charges.
“Charles Chukwuma,who is the third defendant in the charge, was not even arrested by the EFCC,” Onwukwe said.
Interjecting,
counsel to the EFCC, Miss Zainab Ettu, claimed that the automobile
businessman and his co-defendants were evading service.
“The most important thing is for us to proceed to trial; the defendants are on administrative bail.
“As
diligent citizens of the country, when they were aware of the charges
they are to come to the EFCC office with their counsel and receive a
copy of the charge.
“In order to frustrate the trial, they did
not come to court but rather filed a frivolous application; they have
been evading service.
“The person they are trying to protect is
the second defendant who thinks he is too mighty to come to court; the
defence counsel is shielding his client.
“My Lord, we will be
asking for the shortest possible date since they are evading service, so
that we can serve them in the courtroom,” the EFCC prosecutor said.
The
presiding judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, asked the EFCC to pass an
advance copy of the charge to Onwukwe as a form of service.
Onwukwe,
however, objected by saying that he could not accept the advance copy
of the charge as a form of service to the defendants.
“Put the copy of the charge on the table if he refuses to accept it,” the judge ordered.
The
defendants were to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to
obtain property by false pretenses, obtaining property by false
pretenses, stealing and forgery.
According to charge sheet, the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011, in Lagos.
The
EFCC alleges that defendants, with intent to defraud, conspired to
obtain by false pretenses containers of motorcycle, spare parts and raw
materials, property of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), from Mitsui OSK Lines
Limited, Apapa, Lagos.
The defendants are alleged to have
fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to
them via their clearing agents.
The goods were imported from
China in the name of GTB and the defendants are accused of falsely
pretending that they were authorised by the bank to clear the goods.
The
prosecution claims that the defendants, in order to facilitate the
fraud, forged a bill of lading numbered 598286020 of Maersk Line Limited
and 11007950841 of Mutsui O.S.K Lines.
The alleged forgery was
in order that the forged documents be used or acted upon as genuine, to
the prejudice of any person within Lagos or elsewhere.
The
offences, according to the EFCC, are in contravention of Sections
1(1)(b), 1(3), and 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related
Offences Act 2016 and Sections 309(9), 388, 465 and 467(1)(j) of the
Criminal Code of Lagos State 2003.
Justice Dada adjourned the case until Feb. 9 for possible arraignment.
0 Comments