The pioneer anti-graft body in Nigeria, EFCC has been instructed to drag Innocent Chukwuma to court to face prosecution.
A Lagos Special Offences Court, sitting at Ikeja Thursday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to produce the chairman of Innosson Motors Limited, Innocent Chukwuma, in court for arraignment.
Justice Olusola Williams held that the order became necessary due to the absence of Chairman of Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd, who was scheduled to be arraigned before her over an alleged forgery charge against him by the EFCC.
The judge said: “I believe it is the job of the prosecution to bring the defendant to court because they are the Executives.
The judge thereafter adjourned the matter till October 10, 2018, for arraignment.
Chukwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd., were to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretences, obtaining property by false pretences, stealing and forgery in a transaction with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
According to the charge sheet, the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants with intent to defraud; conspired to obtain by false pretences containers of the motorcycle, spare parts and raw materials, property of GTB from Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, Apapa, Lagos.
They are alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to them via their clearing agents the goods which were imported from China in the name of GTB by falsely pretending that they were authorised by the bank to clear the goods.
The prosecution claimed 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 by knowingly putting a false GTB stamp and signature of the bank staff.
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 contravened 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, Laws of Lagos State 2003.
Innoson’s non-appearance in court is the sixth time he will be absent in court after he had refused to appear before Justice Mojisola Dada of a Special Offence Court, Ikeja.
He has also been declared wanted by the court following the request by the commission.
Justice Dada was however withdrawn from the case on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) responding to the Feb. 12 petition of the automobile boss.
The matter has been re-assigned to Justice Williams for arraignment.
Thanks For Reading and Visiting There is more to read look around