The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday June 19, 2017, arraigned one Carlos Okeke before Justice. Ike Ogu of the State High Court, sitting in Onisha, Anambra State, on a four count charge bordering on Obtaining by false pretence, an offence contrary to section 385 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 36, Anambra State and Punishable under section 386 of the same Law.
When the charge was read to the accused person, he pleaded not guilty on all counts of the four count charge preferred against him by the Commission.
In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel Barr. Rotimi Ajobiewe immediately prayed the court to remand the accused in prison and fix a date for the prosecution to open trial and prove its case against the accused person.
But the defense counsel Barr. F. A. Okeke quickly informed the court that the defence had filed a motion for bail since May 17, 2017, and then prayed the court to grant the accused person bail on the grounds that the offence was a bailable one and that the accused had been on administrative bail and had not jumped bail.
Although the prosecuting counsel countered the bail application, the presiding Judge however, granted the accused bail in the sum of N1,000,000 and one surety in like sum, and the surety must be resident in Anambra State; the surety who must be his relative must also be a civil servant and must deposit 2 passport photographs and the surety must be recommended by both counsels and the deputy director of the registry.
But before adjourning to September 22, October 11 and November 2, 2017, for trial, Justice Ogu ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody pending when he perfects his bail condition.
One of the charge against the accused reads:
That you Carlos Okeke sometime in 2015 within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State did commit a felony to wit: with intent to defraud, obtained by false pretence the sum of N19.000.000.00 (Nineteen Million Naira) from one Mrs Muoka Ngozi Blessing, when you represented to her that you placed her money on fix deposit with Diamond Bank Plc a representation which you knew was false and thereby committed an offence.
The incident that led to the arrest of Carlos Okereke happened on January 7, 2016, when the complainant Mrs. Muoka N. Blessing called Carlos who was her account officer in January 2015 when she fixed N17,000,000.00, informing him of her intention to collect the interest on her fixed deposit and roll over the deposited capital which was N17,000,000.00. But to her surprise and absolute dismay, she immediately got a credit alert for N19,000,000.00, which was closely followed by another debit alert for the exact same sum. Mrs. Muoka then petitioned the EFCC on her suspicion of fraud which the commission confirmed through investigation. It was also discovered during investigation that the Bank had long dismissed Carlos Okeke due to his nefarious activities at the bank which also led to the discovery that the certificate that he issued to Mrs. Muoka was forged.
