Alleged N120m Fraud: Again, Court Denies Samadores MD, Samuel Okeke Bail
LAGOS JUNE 28TH (NEWSRANGRS)-Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja has again refused bail to the Managing Directors (MD) of Samadores Ltd and Aqua Rock Real Estate, Samuel Okeke, describing him as a flight risk.
The court denied bail to the applicant, following opposition from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the bail application filed on his behalf by his counsel, Emeka Etiaba SAN.
Okeke, Ifeanyi Ndigwe, and the Managing Director (MD) of Forthright Properties Ltd, Isaac Akintoye, are standing trial alongside four firms for an alleged N120 million property scam.
In her ruling on Tuesday, the Judge recounts that the EFCC’s had earlier alleged that the first defendant Okeke, jumped administrative bail, and that third defendant Ndigwe, had no verifiable address, were not controverted.
Justice Dada held: “The first defendant’s bail was opposed by the prosecution on the ground that the medical report attached to the applicant’s bail application was presumed to have existed over ten years ago but the defense had failed to file it in their previous bail application which court refused
“in the earlier bail application, the applicant’s counsel never brought up the fact that the defendant is an out-patient of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital,
“Going by the information attached to the defendant’s bail application , it was stated that the defendant whom the prosecution alleged that his address was not verifiable lives in an estate in Arepo, Ogun state, one wonders how the applicants who are hypertensive will be receiving treatment as far as Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching hospital when there are different standard hospitals including government own where he can receive adequate treatment.
In rejecting the defendant ‘s second bail application, the judge noted that the credibility of documents which includes a drug receipt allegedly purchased for the defendant while in custody and his presumed home address which was attached by the applicants is questionable.
“The court is of the view that if this defendant is granted bail, he may not be able to attend his trial dues to the fact that he stays in far away Ogun state and the distance may further worsen his health condition.
“I hereby refuse the defendant’s bail application once more because he is a flight risk”, Justice Dada ruled.
She hereafter adjourned the matter till October 10, 2018, for the commencement of trial.
Earlier, EFCC counsel, Mr. Mohammed Bashir, while opposing the application submitted that the defendant in the document before the court had claimed that he lives within the jurisdiction and it counters the new application brought before the court
“We exercise fear over the fact that the defendant now claims to live outside the jurisdiction which is over 400km away. We also don’t have a report from the prison authority that his health could not be managed in the prison.
“We thereby urged my lord to refuse the bail of the applicants and grants us accelerated hearing”, he said.
While making his application, the 1st defendant’s counsel, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, told the court that EFCC’s allegation that he does not have a verifiable address has been countered in the application before the court.
The 1st defendants and others were on May 15 arraigned by the EFCC on 16 count charge bordering on stealing and fraud.
According to EFCC counsel, Muhammed Bashir, the offenses were committed in Lagos between November 14, 2005, and August 2014.
The defendants allegedly received money totaling N120m in tranches of N68,400,000, N1,800,000, N5,000,000, N6,000,000, N10,000,000, N8,500,000, among others.
They, however, pleaded “not guilty” to the 16-count charge of stealing and fraud.
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Posted by News Rangers
on Jun 28 2018. Filed under National, State.
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