The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned a couple, Ruth and Oriyomi Idowu for alleged money laundering and forgery.
The couple were arraigned alongside firms belonging to Ruth, which are the third to the sixth defendants: Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Ltd., Samee Idowu Company Ltd. and Farmex Integrated Companies Ltd.
They were charged with 20-counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, stealing, retention of stolen property and forgery, before an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC counsel, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, prayed the court for a trial date and that the defendants be remanded at a correctional facility, following their not guilty plea.
The first defence counsel, Mr Gabriel Onwubuya, informed the court of the bail application of his client, which was, however, yet to be served on the prosecution.
Onwubuya further prayed the court to remand the defendant in EFCC custody and for a short adjournment for the hearing and determination of the bail application.
The prosecution, however, informed the court that the holding facility of the EFCC was already overstretched and that the appropriate place in the instance following arraignment was the correctional centre.
The court held that there was no bail application before the court from the second defence counsel.
Justice Mojisola Dada ordered that the defendants be remanded in the correctional centre, pending hearing and determination of their bail application.
Dada subsequently adjourned the case until Dec. 15 for hearing of the bail application.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged the defendants to have dishonestly dishonestly retained the sum of N936.6 million in their uba bank account, property of Creditpro Business Support services knowing same to be funds fraudulently obtained from Creditpro.
The prosecutor also submitted that the defendants allegedly converted the sum of N10 million to purchase a GLK Benz, purchase sum derived from converting the sum of N500 million belonging to Creditpro Business Support Services with the aim of disguising the illegal origin of the funds.
The defendants were also alleged to have conspired among themselves with intent to defraud, claimed to have a genuine Local Purchase Order (LPO) from various vendors and obtained the sum of N2.757 billion from the complainant, for themselves.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravene Sections 1(1)(a), 8, of th3 Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and 278(2) 328, 331, 332 and 365 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.