TheNewsGuru

Tag: fraud

  • N21.7m fraud: Doctors make moves to quash charges

    N21.7m fraud: Doctors make moves to quash charges

    Five former executive members of the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), standing trial over alleged N21.7m fraud, have prayed the court to quash the charges against them.

    Emmanuel Ighodaro (chairman) Anthony Owolabi, Quincy Atoghengbe, Raymond Ogieva and Oseremen Gabriel Ogbebor were arraigned before the state High Court on January 31 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    They were accused of conspiracy to commit felony, fraudulent false accounting and stealing of about N21.7 million belonging to the Edo State chapter of the NMA.

    The accused persons, who were executive members of the state NMA between 2013 and 2014, pleaded not guilty to the 21-count charge and were granted bail.

    At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to EFCC, Ben Ubi, told the court that counsel to the defendants have filed separate applications, seeking its leave to quash the charges and also challenge the court jurisdiction the matter.

    The presiding judge, Justice Efe Ikponwmonba, adjourned case to March 20, for definite hearing.

  • Police warn Enugu residents against bank fraud

    The Police Command in Enugu State has urged residents of the state to guard their bank details jealously to avoid being victims of fraud syndicate operating in the state.

    The Command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, gave the advice in a statement in Enugu on Tuesday.

    Amaraizu noted that the advice had become necessary in view of intelligence report about the antics of mischief-makers, who tried to reap where they did not sow.

    He said the command had started to unmask and arrest members of the syndicate involved in the unwholesome act in the state.

    The spokesman said some of the suspects engaged in the financial fraud had been helping the police in the investigation.

    “The command wishes to advise members of the public to be wary of disclosing pin numbers of their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards as well as their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) to people.

    “This will avoid unpleasant consequences of hoodlums wreaking havoc on their bank accounts,” said the spokesman.

    He also advised residents of the state to be wary of those who ask to be assisted to withdraw money from ATM points with their ATM cards as such people might be mischief-makers.

    “Such people only desire to cash in on such opportunity to get their victims’ ATM pin numbers and change their cards without them knowing and thereafter wreak havoc on their account,” Amaraizu said.

     

  • N4.7bn fraud: Court adjourns Ladoja’s trial till March 19

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday adjourned the trial of former Oyo State Governor Rasheed Ladoja till March 19.

    Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the trial after the court called its fourth witness.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Ladoja for allegedly converting N4.7 billion from the state treasury to his personal use.

    He was charged along with Waheed Akanbi on eight counts of money laundering and unlawful conversion of public funds.

    They pleaded not guilty.

    Ladoja was governor from May 29, 2003 to January 12, 2006, when he was impeached.

    On November 1, 2006, the Appeal Court in Ibadan declared the impeachment illegal.

    The Supreme Court upheld the decision on November 11, 2009, and Ladajo resumed office on December 12, 2006.

    But he lost a re-election bid.

    A witness and Managing Director of Fountain Securities, Mr Obakola Daisi, was led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Mr Oluwafemi Olabisi.

    Daisi said he was the official stockbroker for Oyo State government’s portfolio of shares sold in 2007.

    Bidders for the portfolio, he said, included City Securities, Spring Capital, Deep Trust and McLeans Securities, adding that McLeans was the preferred bidder.

    The prosecutor asked the witness if the second defendant was part of the bidding meeting, and he replied “yes”.

    The witness said an Executive Assistant to the former governor, Adewale Atanda, requested that drafts should be raised in the name of Fountain Securities.

    Atanda had testified that Ladoja allegedly bought cars for lawmakers to prevent his impeachment, adding that the former governor gave a directive that the state’s shares be sold.

    He said N634 million, which was part of the commission and profit realised by stockbrokers handling the shares’ sale, were used as slush funds to prevent Ladoja’s impeachment.

    The witness said the N634 million was delivered to him by the stockbrokers.

    According to him, he removed N180 million from the sum, which he earlier borrowed and spent on Ladoja’s instructions during the heat of the impeachment saga.

    Part of the N180 million, Atanda said, was the N80 million he obtained from Wema Bank Plc, which Ladoja allegedly used to purchase 22 vehicles for Oyo State lawmakers to prevent his impeachment.

    Justice Idris also fixed March 20 and 21 for continuation of the trial.

  • Alleged 400m fraud: Metuh has case to answer – Supreme Court

    Alleged 400m fraud: Metuh has case to answer – Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has a case to answer in the money laundering charges.

    Metuh was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for laundering N400m and $2m respectively.

    A five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Dattijo Mohammed while ruling on appeals filed by Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, unanimously affirmed the May 25, 2016, judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

    The Court of Appeal had dismissed the appeals for being incompetent and upheld the March 9, 2016, ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja which dismissed the defendants’ no-case submission.

    Justice Ejembi Eko, who read the lead judgment on behalf of Justice Mohammed, held that as much as the Court of Appeal lacks the jurisdiction to hear the appeals, the Supreme Court too could not entertain the appeal arising from the incompetent appeals before the lower court.

  • Again, N7.3 billion oil fraud suspect faints in Lagos court

    Ogbor Elliot, Managing Director, Danium Energy Services Limited, again fainted in the dock while standing trial before Justice M. S. Hassan of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    TheNewsGuru reports the suspect had, on October 13, 2017, ‘fainted’ before a former trial judge, Justice O. Oguntoyinbo, who had to return the case file to the Chief Judge after he was accused of bias by the accused.

    During Tuesday’s sitting, the accused fainted just as the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, presented a witness, Okechukwu Akugbe, an investigator with the EFCC, to give further evidence.

    The judge then ordered first aid treatment to be administered on the defendant in court and adjourned to Wednesday, February 6, 2018 for continuation of trial.

    Eliot is standing trial alongside Godwin Okoronkwo, Managing Director, Petrosol Energy Limited, on 10-count charge bordering on obtaining under false pretense, conspiracy and forgery to the tune of N7,300,000,000.00 (Seven Billion, Three Million Naira).

    The suspects, who are reportedly members of a syndicate of fraudsters, were arrested following a complaint received by the Commission from an employee of a new generation bank on March 17, 2017.

    The complainant, alleged that sometime between January and February, 2017, Danium Energy Services Limited, one of the bank’s customers that enjoy credit facilities, approached the bank to finance three different Purchase Orders for the sale of Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, to Total Nigeria Plc, with a cumulative value of N12, 134, 700,000(Twelve Billion One Hundred and Thirty-four Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).

    He further alleged that the bank financed two of the Purchase Orders for the sum of N4, 103, 100, 000.00 and N4, 015,800,000.009 respectively, after allegedly receiving confirmation from Total Nigeria Plc.

    However, the purchase orders were discovered to have been forged when the bank approached Total Nigeria Plc for payment 21 days after financing the transaction.

     

  • N7.3bn fraud: Confusion as Danium Energy MD faints in court

    N7.3bn fraud: Confusion as Danium Energy MD faints in court

    The ongoing trial of a suspected oil fraudster, Ogbor Elliot, Managing Director, Danium Energy Services Limited, before Justice M. S. Hassan of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, could not continue on Tuesday, as the suspect passed out while in the dock.‎

    The suspect had, on October 13, 2017, ‘fainted’ before a former trial judge, Justice O. Oguntoyinbo, who had to return the case file to the Chief Judge after he was accused of bias by the accused.

    During Tuesday’s sitting, the accused fainted just as the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, presented a witness, Okechukwu Akugbe, an investigator with the EFCC, to give further evidence.

    The judge then ordered first aid treatment to be administered on the defendant in court and adjourned to Wednesday, February 6, for continuation of trial.

    Mr. Eliot is standing trial alongside Godwin Okoronkwo, Managing Director, Petrosol Energy Limited, on 10-count charge bordering on obtaining under false pretence, conspiracy and forgery to the tune of N7.3 billion

    The suspects, who are suspected members of a syndicate of fraudsters, were arrested following a complaint received by the Commission from an employee of a new generation bank on March 17, 2017.

    The complainant, alleged that sometime between January and February, 2017, Danium Energy Services Limited, one of the bank’s customers that enjoy credit facilities, approached the bank to finance three different Purchase Orders for the sale of Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, to Total Nigeria Plc, with a cumulative value of N12,134,700,000(Twelve Billion One Hundred and Thirty-four Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).

    He further alleged that the bank financed two of the Purchase Orders for the sum of N4,103,100,000.00 and N4,015,800,000.009 respectively, after allegedly receiving confirmation from Total Nigeria Plc.

    However, the purchase orders were discovered to have been forged when the bank approached Total Nigeria Plc for payment 21 days after financing the transaction.

     

  • EFCC arraigns Jonathan’s former minister over N450m ‘fraud’

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned a former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State, Raymond Dabo before the Federal High Court in Jos for alleged embezzlement of N450 million.

    The anti-graft also arraigned one Lyons Sunday Jatau.

    The accused were charged with illegally receiving the money from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to finance the re-election campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his Vice-President.

    At the first hearing of the suit, Mrs. Ochekpe told trial judge, Musa Kurya, that she handed over the said sum to the PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 gubernatorial election in the state, the late Gyang Pwajok.

    Mr. Pwajok died in an Indian hospital after a protracted aliment after the election which he lost to Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress.

    EFCC prosecution counsel, Yusuf Muchaka, said the accused persons breached the law by receiving money they knew was corruptly sourced.

    He supported the charge with an affidavit sworn to by Olayinka Rotimi, an operative with EFCC who was part of the team that investigated the case.

    The judge granted the accused persons bail on self-recognition and adjourned the case to February 13 and 14 for further hearing.

  • [BREAKING] Fraud: FG investigates over 200 whistleblowing tips, suspends two senior tax officials

    [BREAKING] Fraud: FG investigates over 200 whistleblowing tips, suspends two senior tax officials

    The Federal Government has begun investigation into over 200 whistleblowing tips on tax officials and taxpayers which involves under declaration of taxes as well as demand by taxpayers and receipt of gratifications by tax officials.

    The Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance has also commenced the process of sanitising the tax administration and revenue collection system of dishonest operatives.

    The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja while presiding over the meeting of the Whistleblower Unit in the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA).

    Adeosun said that the sanitization of the tax administration and revenue collection system was part of the government’s efforts at enhancing the willingness of citizens to pay their taxes.

    She confirmed that the Federal Ministry of Finance had requested and secured the suspension of two senior Tax Officials in Delta and Benue States based on verified tips from Whistle-blowers.

    The Minister said, “The Ministry is currently analysing over 200 additional whistleblowing tips including recordings between tax officials and potential taxpayers in which various practices, designed to reduce tax payable, were detailed.

    “These practices include demands for personal gratification by tax officers, promises to procure backdated tax clearance certificates, and offers to conspire to reduce taxes payable.”

    In order to deal with the influx of the whistleblowing tips, the Minister has directed the reorganization of the Whistleblower Unit to fast track reports relating to those in the revenue generating agencies.

    “Encouraging our citizens to pay taxes is a matter of law but it is also a matter of trust. Those who work in our tax offices must therefore demonstrate the highest level of integrity.

    “The Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari understands that to reduce our reliance on oil means every citizen must pay their taxes as and when due.

    “However, people will not be encouraged to pay if they believe that those involved in the assessment are not transparent or are dishonest. We will continue to sanitise the system and also improve our controls,” the Minister stated.

    She assured that the Ministry would continue to root out fraudsters from compromising the integrity of the tax administration and revenue collection system.

    She lauded members of the public for volunteering valuable information including voice recordings and other evidence to the Whistleblower Unit in the Ministry.

    The Minister further enjoined members of the public to desist from the procurement of tax certificates that were not consistent their true income.

    She warned against relying on such documents and therefore advised those who might have procured such tax certificates in the past to take advantage of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) to regularise their tax profile.

    She added, “We have cases of procurement of tax clearance certificates with no corresponding records or assessments in the tax offices. In such cases, although payments have been made but there are no underlying assessment. So automatically, we will flag such companies for investigation.

    “The data analysis being undertaken within the Federal Ministry of Finance is readily exposing those who have obtained tax clearance certificates that are either forged or are not consistent with their true income levels.”

  • 2019: ‘PDP will free Nigerians from the fraud called APC’ – Atiku

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has assured Nigerians that opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP remains the only true national political party that will free Nigerians from ‘the fraud called APC.’

    Recall that the former vice president was also a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress till late last year before decamping to the PDP.

    According to a statement signed by Jacob Onjewu, spokesperson of the Atiku Care Foundation, Mr. Abubakar who was speaking through the chairman of the foundation, Aliyu Ibn Abbas, said the PDP is the only party that can transform Nigeria and take its economy back to prosperity.

    He said this in Kaduna on Sunday when one of his supporters, Zainab Pindar, organised a reception for him at the Arewa House to welcome him back to the PDP.

    Mr. Abubakar further urged his supporters to spread the message of PDP’s good plans to the people at the grassroots.

    “PDP still remains the only national party in Nigeria. It is the hope of the common man to be free from the fraud called the APC,” Mr. Abbas said at the event.

    He praised Miss Pindar for committing her resources to funding the reception, adding that Nigeria needs such patriotic youth in good positions to contribute meaningful ideas that would move the country forward.

    Earlier in her remarks at the gathering, Miss Pindar vowed to do every thing within her capacity to project and campaign for the success of Mr. Abubakar and the PDP ahead of 2019.

    “We will use our time, resources, energy and contacts in ensuring the PDP and Wazirin Adamawa is successful in the 2019 election. #AtikuCareProject2019,” she said.

    The programme attracted dignitaries which include Ibrahim Wusono who is the PDP Secretary in Kaduna State, A.A Yaron Kirki, who represented former Governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Yero; Yusuf Dan Bala and the PDP chairman for Igabi Local Government Area of the state.

  • Alleged N2bn fraud: Release report of finding on UNILORIN – ASUU tells EFCC

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release its findings on the alleged N2billion fraud petition on the University of Ilorin, submitted to it over a year ago.

    The Union also called for the recall of all sacked and victimised members at the Kogi State University, Lagos State University and University of Ilorin.

    While calling on President Buhari to check the growing impunity at the Unilorin, the ASUU said it will continue to expose corruption in universities despite victimisation of its members.

    The Ibadan Zone of ASUU in a release signed by its Coordinator, Dr Ade Adejumo titled “impunity and disregard for the Rule of Law: the Cases of the University of Ilorin, Kogi State University and Lagos State University”, ASUU accused the anti-corruption agencies including ICPC, CCB and EFCC of failing to bring the administrations of Professors Ishaq Oloyede and Abdulganiyu Ambali as Vice Chancellors of University of Ilorin to justice despite “substantial evidence which nailed them on corruption issues.”

    According to ASUU in the statement, the failure of the anti-corruption agencies to make public their investigations on the petition has made a mockery of the whistle blowing policy of the Buhari administration and allowed impunity to thrive while the whistle blowers, Drs Kayode Afolayan and Solomon Oyelekan were sacked for daring to expose corruption at UniIlorin.

    While the Union appealed to the Visitor to the University of Ilorin to prevail on the council to recall sacked officials of the union, it called for a “special probe panel of men and women of integrity to look into the books of past administrations in Unilorin.”

    Dr Adejumo also noted that it is worrisome that the Lagos State University went ahead to sack its members (Drs Isaac Akinloye and Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu) alleged of altering students’ results and demanding money from students without “proven evidence beyond reasonable doubt”, and as such asked Governor Akinwumi Ambode to intervene in the matter urgently.

    “In a country where universities are short of qualified academic staff, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state terminated the appointment of 120 members of our union and got unqualified persons to impart the knowledge they do not possess. ASUU believes in the rule of law and will continue to expose the dangers of the criminality that is presently going on in these universities despite victimisation of our members. we call on the visitors in these universities to stop the impunity and recall the sacked lecturers”