The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, 13 November, 2012 arraigned one Rowaye Jubril and his company Brila Energy Limited before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on a 13 count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money under false pretences . Specifically, Jubril was alleged to have obtained the sum of Nine Hundred and Sixty Three Million, Seven Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Naira, Eighty Five kobo (N963,796,199.85) from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretences; claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to Brila Energy Limited under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 13,155,807 MT or 17,393,767 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which Brila Energy Limited purported to have purchased from NAPA Petroleum Trade INC Panama and imported into Nigeria through M/T Overseas Limar ( Mother Vessel), M/T Delphina (1st Daughter Vessel) and M/T Dani I ( 2nd Daughter Vessel).
When the charges were read to Jubril, he pleaded not guilty to them. Counsel to the accused person, Wale Ilesanmi told the court that he had submitted an application for bail dated 30October, 2012. He said the application was supported by a written address urging the court to grant the accused person bail on liberal terms. Ilesanmi informed the court that Jubril had earlier been offered an administrative bail by the EFCC and that the offences for which he was docked are bailable.
Prosecuting counsel, Seidu Atteh however opposed the bail application. He told the court that with the severity of the offence, the interest of the court and the prosecution will not be served if the accused person is granted bail. He, however, prayed the court to attach stringent conditions to any consideration of bail for the accused person.
After listening to both counsel, Justice Okunnu granted the accused person bail in the sum of Seventy Five Million Naira (N75, 000,000.00) and two sureties in like sum. The sureties are to swear to an affidavit of means and must be residents of Lagos State. The sureties should be gainfully employed and one of the sureties should own property of substantial value in Lagos State.
Besides, the judge ruled that, one of the sureties must be a member of the Board of Directors of a public or a private quoted company, one of them should also be a blood relation of the accused person. An operative of the EFCC who participated in the investigation should within 72 hours verify and submit all the sureties’ papers to the Registrar of the court for verification.
The court also bar the accused person from travelling out of the country, directing that his International Passport be submitted to the court. Also, the accused person will henceforth be reporting at the end of every month at a stipulated date and time to the office of the EFCC.
Justice Okunnu ordered that the accused person be remanded in prisons custody until conditions for bail are met. She adjourned the case to 23 and 24 November, 2012 for commencement of trial.
….Arraigns Two Suspects Over N272.5m Scam
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, also on Tuesday, 13 November 2012, arraigned one Adejugbe Anthony and his company, Tonique Oil Services Limited before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on a two count charge bordering on stealing and fraud.
The accused person fraudulently converted the sum of N272, 5000,000 (Two Hundred and Seventy Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira ) obtained from Water Gate Petroleum and Gas Limited for the supply five million litres of PMS to defray his liabilities with Sterling Bank without supplying the product for which he was paid.
One of the charge reads: “That you, Adejugbe Anthony and Tonique Oil Services Ltd on or about the 8th of December, 2011 at Lagos with Ikeja Judicial Division stole and fraudulently converted the sum N272,500,000 (Two Hundred and Seventy Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) property of water Gate Petroleum and Gas Ltd which sum claimed represented payment for 5,000,000 (Five Million) litres of PMS which sum you transferred from your GTB bank account to your Sterling Bank Plc account to defray your liabilities”.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to him. Prosecution counsel, Mrs F. T Giwa prayed the count to give a trial date and remand the accused person in prison custody.
But counsel to the accused person, J. Fabilola urged the court to remand his client in the EFCC custody pending the hearing of his oral application for bail.
Justice Okunnu in her ruling observed that once an accused person was arraigned, the proper place of remand is the prison. She adjourned the matter to 19 November, 2012 for hearing of bail application, and 22and 23 November 2012 for trial. She also ordered that the accused person be remanded in prison custody.
