The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday
arraigned the last batch of the accused persons in the hearing of the Central
Bank of Nigeria’s N8bn mutilated currency fraud suit at the Federal High Court
in Ibadan.
The
EFCC told Justice Adeyinka Faaj that the accused persons, conspired with other
two suspects, Onabanjo Olumayowa and Tijani Olusoga, who are now at large,
between 2011 and 2012 in Ibadan and tricked the CBN to pay N1.6bn to the Zenith
Bank Plc, instead of N159,431,700.
The
five accused persons who were in court on Thursday are Kolawole Babalola,
Olaniran Adeola, Kayode Philip, Ajuwon Bolade and Samuel Ogbeide.
The
lead counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacob (SAN), told the court that the
accused violated the anti-graft agency’s Act.
Jacobs
told the judge that the accused had claimed that the 106 boxes containing the
supposed mutilated N1,000 notes they took to Ibadan branch of the CBN on behalf
of Zenith Bank contained N1, 060, 000, 000 instead of N159,431,700.
By
this, Jacobs argued that they tricked the CBN into paying the commercial bank
N1.6bn.
The
charge sheet read that the accused persons, “Induced the Central Bank of
Nigeria to deliver property to the Zenith Bank Plc, to wit: an aggregate sum of
N1,060,000, 000, as against the actual sum of N159,431,700 on the false
pretence that the 106 boxes containing the supposed mutilated N1,000 notes
which you took to the Ibadan branch of the CBN on behalf of the said Zenith
Bank Plc contained a total sum of N1,060,000,000. You thereby committed an
offence punishable under section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other
Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.”
Jacobs
said the accused persons committed a financial crime punishable under the laws
of Nigeria.
A
total of 14-count charge was preferred against the accused and they all pleaded
not guilty to all the charges.
After
turning down oral bail application from the counsel for the accused, Justice
Faaj later fixed June 12, 2015 for hearing of the motion on bail applications
while also ordering the accused persons to be remanded in prison.
Arraignment
of the accused persons in the suit began on Tuesday and by Thursday, 22 bank
officials had already been brought to the court and remanded in prison custody.
But one of them, who is a nursing mother, was ordered to be kept in the custody
of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Ibadan.
EFCC
counsel expressed happiness at the court proceeding so far but feared that
counsel for the accused persons could employ delay tactics in the suit.
Has laoreet percipitur ad. Vide interesset in mei, no his legimus verterem. Et nostrum imperdiet appellantur usu, mnesarchum referrentur id vim.
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