The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday dragged a suspected fraudster, Laolu Lakitan, before a Lagos State High Court for allegedly duping an Indian national, Pradeep Kumar Mehta and his company, Company Enkay-Indo Nigerian Limited to the tune of N130.4 million.
Lakitan was said to have also forged documents from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to that effect.
The accused was arraigned before Justice O. A. Taiwo on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, use of false document and impersonation.
One of the charges against him read: “That you Laolu Balogun Ladimeji Lakitan between January 2013 and December, 2013 in Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N130,397,335.00 from Mr Pradeep Kumar Mehta an Indian National by falsely pretending to Mr Pradeep that the said sum of money represented the cost of Crude oil allocation which pretence you knew to be false ‘and committed an offence contrary to section 365 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2001.”
The accused person, however, pleaded not guilty.
Justice Taiwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million, with two sureties in like some, ruling that one must be a family member while the other, who should have a landed property in Lagos with Certificate of Ownership, must be a level 12 civil servant.
The presiding judge remanded the accused person in EFCC’s custody because of his ill health and since he was already reportedly receiving treatment there, but told the court that his detention would be upheld, pending the perfection of bail application.
The case was then adjourned to December 5 for further hearing.
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