Alleged N115m fraud: Court orders oil merchants to be re-arraigned on EFCC amended charge

An FCT High Court on Thursday ordered an oil merchant and Managing Director of Owoema Resources Limited, Emmanuel Owoicho and others to appear in court on Dec. 17 for re-arraignment on EFCC amended charges over alleged N115 million fraud.

Justice Peter Affen, gave the order, after Mr Francis Onoja, counsel for the Owoicho failed to appear in court due to his poor health.

Owoicho is facing a 12-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence, alongside managing directors of: Standard Allied Universal Concept Limited, Ann Petroleum Investment Company and Alien Logic Ways Unique Services.

Other defendants are: Unique Energy Systems Limited, Calibrate Inspection Services Limited, Standard Allied Universal Concept Limited and Unique Energy Distribution Systems

EFCC alleged that they conspired to sell a consignment of Bonny Light crude oil purportedly from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to Bascom Energy Limited to the tune of N115 million.

They also alleged that the defendants collected money to the tune of N115million at various times, for the crude oil which was never supplied.

The EFCC counsel, Mr Sylvanus Tahir had informed the court the prosecution only wanted to reflect the names of the fifth and sixth defendants in Counts 1 and 2 of the new charge.

He added further that the names of the third and fourth defendants, which were omitted in the initial charge due to what he described as “typographical error”, were being added to the Count 2.