Justice Akintayo Aluko of Lagos Federal High Court has fixed May 23, 2024 for the arraignment of Mr. Falako Emmanuel, an accountant with Dangote Nigeria Limited alongside a businessman, Adolphus Irunokha Peter, over alleged bribe and fraud of N886, 804, 776.12 million.
Also to be arraigned alongside the accountant is a company belonging to the businessman, Adokhai Global Resources Nigeria Limited.
The defendants’ arraignment which was earlier fixed was scuttled due to the absence of the businessman and his company.
The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) charged the defendants to court in a charge marked FHC/L/631c/23 on a four- count charge of unlawful conversion of the said sum and bribery.
In the charge, the businessman and others now at large, was alleged to have diverted 1,729,396 million litres of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO), valued at N882, 804, 776.12 million, property of DANGOTE Industries Limited, between September, 2022 and May 2023.
He was alleged to have bribed the third defendant, Falako Emmanuel, who is a former accountant with Dangote Nigeria Limited with the total sum of N3.6 million.
The accountant, Falako Emmanuel, was slammed with a count charge of receiving bribe of the sum of N3.6 million, from the businessman through his account numbers: 0003757075 and 0027824937 domiciled with Access Bank Plc.
The defendants’ offences, according to the prosecutor, Barrister Elliott Ejie, contravened sections 21(a) and 18 (2)(b), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.
However, at the resumed hearing of the matter today, the prosecutor, Barrister Ejie, informed the court that the business of the day was the arraignment of the defendants having been served with the charge and proof of evidence through their counsel, Osakpolo Orobor, as directed by the court.
Barrister Ejie also told the court that the businessman who is a natural being and his company, who is an artificial being, were not in court, except the third defendant. He therefore urged the court to ask the lawyer for the first and second defendants why his clients were absent.
But lawyer to the two defendants, Allen Agbaka, while admitting that the business of the day was report of service and arraignment of his clients, however, stated that the prosecution served the order on the counsel whose name is not listed the order of the court.
He said the name of the counsel on the order was Osakpolo Orobor while it was served on Asadu Chisom (a counsel who was in court with the defendants’ lawyer, Allen Agbaka).
Responding, the prosecutor told the court that the order was served Asadu Chisom who in the same chambers with Osakpolo Orobor, whose name was on the court order told him, and based on what Osakpolo told him on phone.
However, the prosecutor sought for court’s leave to serve the charge on the defendants’ lawyer who was in court.
Justice Aluko, after listening to the counsel submission, ordered that the charge and the proof of evidence be served on the defendants’ lawyers who were in court.
The Justice thereafter adjourned the matter to May 23, 2024 for the defendants’ arraignment.