Three pastors David Eshiet, Samson Ugbara and Adesanmi Aderoju, were
yesterday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, over alleged N7.9 million fraud .
The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade of
an Ikeja High Court, are facing a six-count charge bordering on
conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery and uttering.
The defendants were charged by the anti-graft agency alongside their company, Prince and Zion International Service Ltd.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges proffered against them.
The trio were accused of defrauding their victims of the sum under
the pretense of helping them to secure large sum of money as loan.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Ben Ubi alleged that the defendants had
conspired among themselves to fraudulently obtain N4 million and 25,000
US dollars (N3.9 million) from one Angel Estate Residents Development
Association in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.
Ubi alleged that the money was obtained on October 27, 2011 under the
pretext of helping the complainants source for a 100 million US dollars
loan facility.
He stated that the loan was being sourced by the association to
finance some community projects, adding that the defendants had obtained
the money as processing charges.
Ubi, however accused the defendants of forging various documents which were used in facilitating the fraud.
Adding that after collecting the money, they failed to secure the
loan as promised which led the complainants to petition the EFCC.
Ubi said their alleged offenses contravened Sections 1, sub-sections
1,2,3 and 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offenses
Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
He said it also contravened Sections 363 and 364 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.
However the judge ordered the defendants be remanded in Kirikiri
Maximum Security Prisons pending the hearing of their bail applications
fixed for March 27.
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