Suspected Fraudster Arraigned for Credit Card Forgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday March 17, 2014 arraigned  one Funsho Babatunde Oladimeji before Justice Kudirat Jose of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja on a 3- count charge bordering on forgery and possession of fraudulent documents.

The accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him.

In view of the plea of the defendant,  prosecuting counsel, M. K. Basiru,  prayed the court for a trial date and to remand the accused in prison custody. Basiru opposed the defendant’s bail application on the ground that, he has no valid identity based on the fact that he has two international passports bearing different names.

Defence counsel, Gabriel Organ, while not denying the fact that the defendant has dual identity,  prayed the court to grant him bail on very liberal terms.

Justice Jose refused the application. She ruled that, though the offence is bailable, the fact that the defendant has two international passports, makes it difficult for the court to grant him bail as his prospects for jumping bail, were high.

 She subsequently adjourned the case to May 16  and 23, 2014 for trial and ordered that, the defendant  be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos.

Count one of the charge reads:  “Funsho Babatunde Oladimeji on or about the 3^rd day of January ,2014 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, knowingly forged Sixty Eight (68) Credit Cards purporting same to be Citi-Interswitch Mastercard”.

The 36- years old  was arrested on February 3rd, 2014 by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,  NDLEA,  at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos,  while trying to  board a Turkish airline. He was arrested in possession of Sixty Eight (68) Citibank Master cards and Thirty Nine (39) Citibank Visa cards;  all counterfeit.

He was thereafter transferred to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.