EFCC Re-arraigns 3 Oil Marketers Over Alleged N789.6m Fuel Subsidy Fraud

EFCC Re-arraigns 3 Oil Marketers Over Alleged N789.6m Fuel Subsidy Fraud

Agency Report
— April 8, 2014

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday re-arraigned three oil marketers — Adamu Maula, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah — over an alleged N789.6 million fuel subsidy fraud.

The marketers appeared alongside their companies — Downstream Energy Sources Ltd and Rocky Energy Ltd — before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court.

The marketers are facing a 26-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and uttering.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendants were earlier arraigned on Feb.26, 2013 on an eight-count charge.

They had pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted N50 million bail each, with two sureties in like sum.

The EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), alleged that the defendants had committed the offences between March 2011 and January 2012 in Lagos.

Jacobs alleged that the accused fraudulently obtained N789.6 million from the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) for a purported importation of 14.2 million litres of petrol from Europe to Nigeria.

The prosecutor also accused them of forging documents, including bill of lading, certificate of quantity, certificate of origin and cargo manifest, which they allegedly used in facilitating the fraud.

Jacobs said their offences contravened Section 1 (sub-sections 1,2,3) and Section 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.

According to him, it also contravened Sections 363 and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2003.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The judge ordered that the defendants should continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them by the court.

The case was adjourned till June 10 for trial. (NAN)