The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, arraigned a couple, Ruth and Oriyomi Idowu, for alleged money laundering and forgery.
The couple were arraigned before the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, alongside firms belonging to Ruth, which are the third to the sixth defendants – Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Limited, Samee Idowu Company Limited, and Farmex Integrated Companies Limited.
They were charged with 20-count bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, stealing, retention of stolen property and forgery, before an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, prayed the court for a trial date and that the defendants be remanded at a correctional facility, following their not guilty plea.
The first defence counsel, Gabriel Onwubuya, informed the court of the bail application of his client, which was however, yet to be served on the prosecution.
Onwubuya further prayed the court to remand the defendant in EFCC custody and for a short adjournment for the hearing and determination of the bail application.
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The prosecution counsel, however, informed the court that the holding facility of the EFCC was already overstretched, adding that the appropriate place in the instance following arraignment was the correctional centre.
The court held that there was no bail application before the court from the second defence counsel.
The presiding judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, ordered that the defendants be remanded in the correctional centre, pending hearing and determination of their bail application.
Justice Dada subsequently adjourned the case until December 15 for the hearing of bail application.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged that the defendants dishonestly retained the sum of N936.6 million in their bank account, property of Creditpro Business Support services knowing same to be funds fraudulently obtained from Creditpro.
The prosecutor added that the defendants allegedly converted the sum of N10 million to purchase a GLK Benz.
The defendants were also alleged to have conspired among themselves with intent to defraud, claimed to have a genuine Local Purchase Order (LPO) from various vendors and obtained the sum of N2.757 billion from the complainant, for themselves.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravene Sections 1(1)(a), 8, of th3 Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and 278(2) 328, 331, 332 and 365 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.
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