A British citizen named Anthony Boyson, whose alias is Armstrong Christopher, was yesterday arraigned before a Lagos State High Court in Lagos, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly defrauding Pilgrims Africa Limited of $227,035.
Charged
alongside Boyson was Nwamadi Monica, also with an alias, Anozie C.
Happiness, and Marisec Services Limited on a nine-count-charge of fraud,
which they pleaded not guilty.
Monica and Boyson were accused of defrauding
Pilgrims Africa Limited through Marisec Services Limited by falsely
pretending to be the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Jacobus Marthinus
Claasens.
The charge, marked No. ID/329C/2011, read in part: “Anthony Boyson,
a.k.a. Armstrong Christopher, Nwamadi Monica CHA, a.k.a. Anozie C.
Happiness, and Marisec Services Limited on or about February 16, 2011,
in Lagos,
within Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, obtained the sum
of USD98,000 from Pilgrims Africa Limited through Marisec Services
Limited, Zenith Bank account Number 4071000273 by falsely pretending to
be Mr.
Jacobus Marthinus Claasens of Pilgrims Africa Limited, that the
money represented the cost of hiring one vessel, “Lady Mary T” at
USD7,000 per day from February 16, 2011 to March 1, 2011 which pretence
you knew to be false.”
EFCC
lawyer, Mr. ABC Ozioko, told the court he had two witnesses in court
for the trial, noting that the initial information in the charge be
withdrawn and pave way for the amended information.He argued that it was right for the prosecution to amend information
at any time before judgement, and urged the court to give him a week to
enable him file a written submission on the motion over the seizure of
the defendants’ passport and laptop.
Ozioko pointed out that items collected from the defendants by the
commission were received in the course of investigation and had
something to do with the amended information.
He then urged the court to take the plea of the defendants since the old information had been withdrawn.
Mr. A. Festus, Counsel to the defendants, in his objection, argued
that the new information was served him yesterday morning, stressing
that he had not gone through it, neither had the defendants seen it.
Festus argued that in line with the law, materials seized should be
attached as exhibit, noting that there was nowhere it was written in the
prosecutor’s information that passport was received.He told the court that there was already an application before it,
adding that “it will be a travesty of justice if we go into the trial
without considering that application.”
After listening to the argument of both counsels, the trial judge,
Justice D. O. Oluwayemi, adjourned the matter till Friday, November 2,
2012, for continuation of trial and hearing of motion.
