BEVERLY HILLS, December 24, (THEWILL) –Â Â The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a fraud charge against Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, alias Innoson, his company Innoson Nigeria Limited and his brother Charles Chukwuma.
The charge, dated 30 November, 2017, was filed at a Lagos High Court as the EFCC is accusing Innoson of obtaining containers of motorcycles spare parts by false pretences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos, ‘with intent to defraud’.
The goods, said to be property of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, were allegedly obtained from Mitsui O.S.K Lines Limited in Apapa.
The anti-graft agency claims that Innocent Chukwuma and Charles Chukwuma, “with intent to defraud” induced the staff of Mitsui O.S.K and Maersk Line Limited to deliver to them through their clearing agents, the motor cycle spare parts, moulds of spare parts and steel structures and raw materials called polyvinl chloride, imported from China.
The charge said the accused falsely pretended that they were authorised by GTB to clear the goods and take delivery of them.
THEWILL recalls that EFCC had on Tuesday arrested Innoson in Enugu, stirring some controversy that the arrest bore some ethnic motive and that the agency should not have waded into a dispute between GTB and the businessman.
Central to this was the story that the parties were locked in a dispute over illegal deductions from Innoson’s accounts by the GTB, with Innoson claiming that the bank was indebted to him and his company to the tune of billions of naira.
In press and TV interviews, he said he had gotten judgement at both lower and appelate courts and that the GTB has an appeal at the Supreme Court but the bank responded that it would not join issues with the businessman as the issues between them are in the court.
The EFCC, in releasing Innoson on bail Wednesday, explained that he was arrested after he refused to honour invitations by the Commission. It said had been arrested by the Commission previously and granted administrative bail but he reneged on the bail and his surety could also not be found.
