Thursday, 19 June 2014

EFCC Arraigns Two Suspected Fraudster for $60,000 Contract Scam


Press Release

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday June 16, 2014, arraigned Clifford Nduka Nwachukwu and Jethrow Nigeria Limited before Justice Kudirat Jose of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja on one- count charge bordering on stealing.
Nwachukwu's problems began, sometime in January 2013, when Jethrow Limited, a company owned by him , was awarded a contract to refurbish, rehabilitate and re-install six (6)  Steel Skirt Navigational Marking Buoys at Calabar Port, for a total sum of N27million( Twenty-Seven Million Naira only), by Abhal Ventures Limited through Alhaji Abu Mohammed.  
N15, 000,000(Fifteen Million Naira only) was reportedly given to Jethrow Nigeria Limited as advance payment. An additional sum of N9, 000,000.00 (Nine Million Naira only) was paid in September 2013, while the balance of N3, 000,000.00 (Three Million Naira only) was to be paid upon completion of the job. Since the N9million was paid to Jethrow Nigeria Limited, Nwachukwu allegedly refused to mobilize to site, to complete the project, and diverted the money to personal use.
The one count charge reads: “that you Clifford Nduka Nwanchukwu and Jethrow Nigeria Limited on or about the 2nd September, 2013 at Ikoyi, within the Ikeja Judiciary Division of this honourable court stole the sum of Sixty Thousand United States of America Dollars ($60,000) only, property of Mr. Abdulrahman Girei Halihu and Abhal Ventures Limited“
When the charge was read to him,  he pleaded not guilty 
Upon his plea, counsel to EFCC, Ben Ubi asked  for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the accused person in prison custody.
But the defence counsel, John Eboh, while praying the court to allow him file an oral application for bail, urged the court to remand the accused person in EFCC custody.
Justice Kudirat Jose, adjourned the matter to October 14 and 15, 2014, and ordered that the accused person be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum prison.

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