EFCC Arraigns ex-banker over 15.4million,Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, yesterday arraigned an ex- banker  Adebayo Ogunnusi and his company Track Train GMAT ltd, over alleged obtaining of N15.4million, under disguise of supplying the dollar equivalent. 

Ogunnsi 41, who is an ex- banker Heritage Bank Plc was docked before Justice Sybil Nwaka on a one-count charge of obtaining by false pretense. 

The EFCC lawyer M. D Aliyu alleged that the defendant committed the offense between May and August 2016. 

He said that Ogunnusi obtained the said amount from one Kehinde under false  pretense that he was the head of Heritage Bank limited and that he could change the naira equivalent to dollar.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

According to the prosecutor the offence committed is contrary to section 1 (1) (a) of the advance fee fraud and other related offence Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

In view of his plea the anti-graft agency lawyer Aliyu urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody and adjourned for commencement of trial. 

But the defendant's counsel Nelson Okesinachi objected to the oral application by the prosecutor to remand the defendant.  

‎He pleaded with Justice  Nwaka not to remand the defendant in custody, stating that he was already being tried before Justice Oguntoyinbo of a Lagos Federal High Court..

Okesinachi said " It would be double jeopardy for him beacuse he was unfairly tried in two different courts on the same charge  and he had been arrainged by justice oguntoye of Federal High Court yet he was still held under EFCC custody despite being on bail".

He further pleaded with judge not to send the defendant to prison.

But she refused stating that once a plea is taken the defendant would be remanded in prison.  "His plea had already been taken and  also I  will not touch the case but pass the file back to the chief judge to be taken to EFCC court in ikeja,a special court for these kind of cases."

The case was adjourned to November 15, 2017 for hearing of application.

Meanwhile she ordered that the defendant should be remanded in ikoyi prison.