The Chief Executive of Imagine Roco Limited, Robert Daniel Onyeani, has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice E. N. Anyadike of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State on a four-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence and issuing a fake cheque to the tune of N57.7m.
The prosecuting counsel, Joshua Saidu, told the court that Onyeani, 53, had sometime in November, 2013, allegedly presented himself to the complainant, one Chinemeya Iheaku of G.N. Iheaku & Co. Ltd, as a member of a seven-man Presidential Committee on Import Duties Concession and Waiver of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and investment, Abuja.
“Onyeani also allegedly demanded the said sum from the complainant, promising that he could procure import duties waiver/concession certificate for importation of stock fish.
“After collecting the from the complainant, he went into thin air.
“However, when the petitioner requested for refund, the accused person was said to have issued some cheques, which bounced due to insufficient fund in his account,” the prosecutor told the court,” Joshua said.
The charge reads : ‘‘That you, Robert Daniel Onyeani, CEO of Imagine Roco Ltd, on or about the 26th day of November, 2013 at Aba within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria obtained the sum of N57.7m from one Chinemeya Iheaku of G.N. Iheaku & Co. Ltd under the false pretence that you can procure a certificate of concession/waiver on the importation of stockfish/fish head, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.’’
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Subsequently, the prosecuting counsel asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the accused person in prison custody.
The defence counsel, O. Emole, moved an application for bail on behalf of his client.
The Chief Judge, Justice Anyadike, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.
Anyadike adjourned the matter to February 16 for trial on the bail application.
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