N66.4m fraud: Court threatens to revoke alleged fraudsters’ bail

A Federal High Court in Lagos has vowed to revoke the bail granted two defendants, Seun Awosanya and Amaechi Osita, if they failed and refused to appear before the it to continue with their trial on an alleged N66,450, million fraud.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro issued the threat, at Monday’s resumed hearing of the fraud charges against the two defendants.

The defendants were brought before the court by men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) sometimes in 2016, on a two count-charge of alleged conspiracy and fraudulently converting $300, 000, which was equivalent to N66,450 million belonging to a company, Logicvantage and Trust Limited.

The PSFU in the charge marked FHC/L/c/2016, alleged that the two defendants committed the offences sometimes in the month of March, 2015, with one Okoli Chigozie Kingsley, who is at large, and a firm, Osymaco Investiment Limited, belonging to the second defendant, Amaechi Osita.

The offences are contrary to Section 1(1)(a) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and section 15(1)(a)(ii)(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 as amended.

They had pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were formerly arraigned before Justice Saidu Saliu, who has retired from the Bench.

But upon the retirement of Justice Saidu, the defendants’ case file was transferred to Justice Awogboro, who inherited most of the cases handled by the retired judge.

On two occasions that the defendants’ matter came up before Justice Awogboro, they were nowhere to be found, the development, which forced the prosecutor, Mr. Daniel Apochi, to asked the court for a Bench warrant, which was granted.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, Apochi, told the court that the police were unable to effect the Bench warrant, as the first defendant, Seun Awosanya, had relocated outside the court’s jurisdiction, and the second defendant, Amaechi Osita, is also not living in the address given to the court.

Apochi also told the court that the sureties to the first defendant were nowhere to be found, while it took the intervention of a lawyer, who stood surety for the second defendant, before he could be found.

The prosecutor therefore asked the court to revoke the bail earlier granted the defendants.

However, counsel to the defendants, Mr. M. A. Olanrewaju, who led Opeyemi Adekoye, vehemently opposed the prosecutor’s application for the revocation of the clients’ bail.

Olanrewaju, who told the court that his clients have religiously been attending trial, said their non-appearance on two occasions, was due to non issuance of hearing notice.

He also told the court of the application to quash the Bench warrant issued against his clients, adding that hearing and ruling on the application was very important, as it will stop the police from arresting the defendants after the court proceedings.

Ruling on the submissions of Counsel, Justice Awogboro, while declining to revoke the defendants’ bail, urged police not to arrest them after the proceedings.

Justice Awogboro, however, held that the defendants’ bail would be revoke if they failed to be in court at the next adjourned date.

Further hearing of the charges has been fixed for September 21.