A former Managing Director of an aviation fuelling company, Star Orient Nigeria Limited, Dare Osamo, a practicing lawyer, Ayoola Olore Abiola and one Hussaina Abdulkadir have been charged in an Ikeja, Lagos Magistrate Court for alleged forgery and theft of one billion naira.
The accused persons were arraigned by the Nigeria Police Force before Magistrate Mrs. A. A. Oshiniyi on four counts bordering on forgery and stealing.
Police prosecutor, Jimoh Joseph said that the accused persons have been under investigation for 18 months before they were arraigned following advice by the Director of Public Prosecution, who said that the accused persons have a case to answer.
The prosecutor read out the charges to the accused person wherein he said that that they, with others at large, sometime between the year 2016 and 2019 at Star Orient Nigeria Limited at JUH12, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, conspired to commit forgery, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
He said that the accused persons forged a Star Orient Nigeria Limited Board Resolution dated 31st July, 2018, and 15th December, 2015 with the intent it may be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice members of the public, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 365(1) , Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
The prosecutor further said that the accused persons obtained the sum of N1,605,019,015,01 from Star Orient Nigeria Limited, in the pretence of selling and buying aviation products, “a representation you know to be false and thereby committing an offence punishable under section 314(1) and (3) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015,” part of the charges against the defendants read.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
This was even as the Magistrate granted them bail in the sum of five million naira with two responsible sureties in like sum, one of whom must be blood a relative.
She ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and provide details of their residential addresses and evidence of tax payments to the state.
Source: Sahara Reporters.
