Court Convict Businessman In Absentia For $149,950 Fraud, Orders Arrest Of Sureties

Justice Olusola Williams of the Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, July 26, 2019, convicted a businessman, Barnabas Johnson Akojie in absentia for offences bordering on forgery, stealing, obtaining by false pretence and fraudulent conversion to the tune of $149,950.
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Akojie was convicted alongside his companies, Hanson Oil and Gas Limited and Hanston Oil and Gas Limited, having been arraigned on an eight-count charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on October 9, 2018.
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One of the charges reads: “That you, Barnabas Johnson Akojie and Hanston Oil & Gas Limited, on or about the 29th day of November, 2017 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $69, 975. 00 (Sixty-nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy-five United States Dollars) from Etienne Irazoqui by falsely representing to him that the money was for logistics fee for a contract of supply of crude oil under 'off-OPEC' basis from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006.”
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The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them, giving way to their trial.
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In the course of the trial, the prosecution presented six witnesses, while the defence presented three.
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Though both parties subsequently closed their cases, but Justice Williams could not deliver judgment on the matter at the last adjourned on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, owing to the absence of the defendants in court.
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Akojie, who is the first defendant, according to his counsel, was sick and admitted in hospital, prompting Justice Williams to issue a bench warrant on him, ordering that he be produced that same day at 3.00pm for the judgment to be read to him.

See more here; http://gistmore.com/court-convicts-businessman-in-absentia-for-149950-fraud-orders-arrest-of-sureties

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