Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, arraigned one Ola Olu Olakunle before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
Olakunle was charged on a seven-count charge of stealing, inducement, possession of documents containing false pretence and forgery to the tune of Five Million, Two Hundred and Ninety-six Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-five Naira, Seventeen Kobo (N5, 296, 655, 17).
EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade in a statement said one of the counts reads: “ That you, Ola Olu Olakunle (aka Idris Musa Isa) sometime in November 2012, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, induced Union Capital Markets Limited to transfer 150,000 units of First Bank Nigeria shares on the fake representation that you are Idris Musa Isa, the owner of the said shares, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”
Another count reads: “That you, Ola Olu Olakunle (aka Idris Musa Isa) sometime in 2012 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, dishonestly converted for your own use the sum of Five Million, Two Hundred and Ninety -six Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-five Naira, Seventeen Kobo (N5, 296, 655, 17) property of Idris Musa Isa and committed an offence contrary to Section 285(9) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011”.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, M. S. Usman, prayed the court for a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.
Counsel to the defendant, O.O. Ogunjimi, however, objected the prayers of the prosecution seeking that his client be remanded in prison custody.
Ogunjimi informed the court of a bail application dated January 8, 2019 and also prayed the court to admit his client to bail in the most liberal terms on health grounds.
He further urged the court to remand the defendant in the EFCC custody pending the perfection of his bail if granted.
In his response, the prosecution counsel, Usman, opposed the bail application of the defence with a 17-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Abdullahi Tukur, an operative of the EFCC.
Also attached were two exhibits that were relied on as arguments.
Usman submitted that in the likelihood that bail was granted, the defendant should be remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail “because the Commission no longer have jurisdiction over the defendant since his plea has been taken”.
Justice Taiwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of Two Million Naira and two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties must be a civil servant of Grade Level 15 and must provide a letter of introduction and pay slip.
The second surety must be a blood relative with an affidavit of proof and tax clearance in the last two years.
The Judge also ordered that the sureties must provide proper identification, which will be verified by the EFCC and the court orderly.
Justice Taiwo adjourned the matter to February 8, 2019 and also ordered the defendant to be remanded in the EFCC custody pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
