THE Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a businessman, Andrew Warri for allegedly defrauding GTBank to the tune of N125m.
The suspect was arraigned before Justice Sherifah Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
He was arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques.
Warri was arraigned alongside two companies: A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited and Ranez Medical Consultancy Limited.
One of the counts reads: “Andrew Warri, A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited, sometime in May 2012 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtained the sum of N125,000,000 from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc under the guise that the proceeds of the Rural Health Care and Referral contract with Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will be domiciled in your account with Guaranty Trust Bank, the said pretense you knew, or ought to have known is false.”
Another count reads: “Andrew Warri, Ranez Medical Consultancy Limited, on or about 28th October 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, issued a Zenith Bank cheque for the sum of N10,000,000 payable to A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited, in favour of Guaranty Trust Bank, which upon presentation for payment was dishonoured on the grounds that no sufficient funds were standing to your credit.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Thereafter, prosecuting counsel, Franklin Ofoma, prayed the Court for a date for commencement of trial, as the prosecution was ready to prove its case against the defendants.
Nelson Imoh, counsel for Warri, informed the Court that the bail application for his client was before the Court.
He argued that the defendant was a flight risk, as he had resisted when operatives of the EFCC went to his office to effect his arrest.
