* Pix source: The Nigerian Voice
Police from the Special Fraud Unit, of the Nigerian Police Force, Milverton Road, Ikoyi Lagos has arraigned a 45- year-old man, Akinyemi Sunday Olusegun for allegedly defrauding Fan Milk Nigeria Plc and the Ibadan North -West Local Government Council to the tune of N17million.
The accused, who was arraigned on Monday before Justice Abdulazeez Anka of the Federal High Court, Lagos, is facing a four-count criminal charge of forgery, obtaining money under false pretence and fraudulent conversion, an offence contrary to section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud And other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Akinyemi Sunday Olusegun and other persons at large were specifically alleged to have between 2012 and 2016 in Ibadan within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did by false pretence and with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N17million from Fan Milk Nigeria Plc as payment for tenement rate with the pretext of remitting the money into the coffers of Ibadan North-West Local Government Council, a representation he knows to be false, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud And Other Related Offences Act, Cap2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same law.
The defendant at the same time and place was also alleged to have fraudulently forged several letters of authority and demand notices bearing letter headed papers of Ibadan North- West Local Government Council , knowing same to be false, with intent that it may be acted upon as genuine, to the prejudice of Fan Milk plc, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2) (a) and (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation.
Count four of the charge, alleged that the defendant converted the sum of N17million being money fraudulently realised from Fan Milk as tenement rate on behalf of Ibadan North -West Local Government Council with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the funds, an offence contrary to Section 15 (1) (a) and (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition ) Act, 2011 as amended.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to to the charge and his counsel, Mr Nicholas Akabueze, told the court that he has a bail application which was subsequently moved after a no-opposition submission plea by the prosecution counsel, Mr S.E Ekon.
Justice Abdulazeez Anka after hearing the bail application granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N20million with two sureties who must be civil servants.
One of the sureties according to the judge, must be of the rank of a Assistant Director, while the other should be a civil servant not below level 14. The judge further ordered that both sureties should submit copies of their letter of promotions with two recent passport photographs while documents submitted must be verified by the court Deputy Registrar.
