Fraud: EFCC Opens Case Against Atuche Oct 28 Concerning N125bn

A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed October 28, 2015, for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to open its case against a former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche, charged with N125bn fraud. Atuche, who was on June 22, 2015, freed by a Lagos State High Court of alleged N25.7bn theft charges by the EFCC, is currently facing an amended 45-count before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, while freeing Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth, and a former Chief Financial Officer of Bank PHB, Ugo Anyanwu, faulted the EFCC for charging them before the state high court rather than the Federal High Court. Standing trial alongside Atuche before the Federal High Court in Lagos is a former Managing Director of the defunct Spring Bank Plc, Charles Ojo. The EFCC accused both Atuche and Ojo of conspiracy, reckless granting and approval of loans and money laundering. ADVERTISEMENT The duo were said to have allegedly committed general banking fraud and granted credit facilities without following due process at the time they were the bosses of the defunct banks.


They were also accused of manipulating shares. The EFCC accused them of conspiring to and indeed acquiring shares of Keystone Bank Plc using depositors’ funds.

The anti-graft agency specifically accused Atuche of acquiring N3.5bn shares of Bank PHB, using proceeds of unlawful loans granted to Tradjek Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Futureview Financial Services Ltd. The offences, according to the EFCC, were allegedly committed between September 2006 and year 2009. The EFCC’s prosecutor, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), said Atuche and Ojo’s acts constituted a contravention of Section 7(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.

The men were also charged for violating Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, as well as Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. But they had pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently on bail in the sum of N50m each with two sureties in like sum. At the Tuesday proceedings, Pinheiro sought for a date for the prosecution to open its trial.

 The defence counsel, Osahon Idemudia, in response, however, raised no objection to the prayer for trial to commence. Saidu subsequently adjourned till October 28 and 29 for the prosecution to open its case.

SOURCE : PUNCH NEWS 

Citizens of Ekiti Scared Over Impeachment of Fayose

    There is a chaos over the impeachment of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti. Members of Ekiti state have risen to update the media over the current incident.

 

Some say there have been peace in the state before the rise of the chaos. Some plead for the case to die downn, while some members of the state might have died due to the current chaos. What is your take on this?

Lawrence Onoja, Others Divert to APC in Benue State

Why are politicians diverting from PDP to APC?

Is it that those corrupt ones try to hide under the integrity of Governor Fashola for making Lagos what it is? Or is that PDP doesn't give politicians the platform to do their best?
Is it the party that should make the country or the individual?
Please we need comments on these questions that seem rhetorical.

Lagos State Gov. Fashola Opens Up Register For Sex Offenders

The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola has signed a bill to create a register for all sex offenders in the state. Fashola also identified Alimosho, Kosofe, Agege and Oshodi-Isolo as the areas with the highest cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the state.

The governor signed the bill on Monday, December 1, and the sex offenders register, along with the already instituted crime data register, will enable law enforcement agents to better prosecute sexual offences committed within the state.

 “I will like to tell those perpetrating the act in these local governments-Alimosho, Kosofe, Agege and Oshodi-Isolo to desist now because we would be coming after them.

We will combat these crimes so that they do not become big crimes in the state,” Fashola said. “Also, in order to ensure that criminals are monitored, we have created a crime data register which states everyone who has engaged the criminal justice system of the state, and we have close to 100, 000 offenders on that register.”

“And very soon, we would start deploying people to the data rooms in the police stations across the state to gather the bio-data of offenders including their photographs and others. This was why we have asked everyone to register so that before you employ anyone, you will know his track record,” the governor added.

Governor Fashola also called for collective effort to combat sexual crimes in the state “And this is the time for everyone especially women to speak against it.

This is the time for us to have a local enforcement unit; either we call it state police or whatever name we wish to call it, to protect the women from frequent abuse from their opposite gender,” the governor said. The Attorney-General of Lagos, Ade Ipaye also stated at the event that no fewer than 113 cases of sexual violence were currently being prosecuted in High Courts across the state.

Boko Haram Takes Over Lassa LGA in Borno State

The Boko Haram sect Sunday night took over Lassa town in Askira/Uba local government council, Borno State, leaving many persons dead and many worship and residential houses burnt down.

The attack, according to reports from Lassa, was resisted by the villagers who engaged the attackers with locally made rifles, bows and arrows.

The insurgents who were said to have come with all sorts of modern weapons were said to have overpowered the locals after a brief exchange of fire. As it is now, Boko Haram is fully in charge in Lassa town and has declared the town a caliphate.

This is the first town in the Southern part of Borno that Boko Haram has taken over. Lassa is a predominantly Christian community.

SOURCE