Justice Sherifat Solebo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court has fixed March 4 for arraignment of a businessman, Oladapo Olagundoye, and his company Morobone Nig. Ltd. over alleged $490,000 fraud.

Newsmen reports that Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force had in August 2020 filed a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretences against the defendants.

However, the defendants did not appear in court for the case.

According to counsel to the SPU, Mr Chukwu Agwu, Olagundoye and his company fraudulently obtained $490,000 from Infrastructural Development and Energy Company Ltd. (INDECO) sometime in March 2018 on Lagos Island.

He said: “The defendants falsely represented that, in conjunction with Wyndham Hotel Group, an American Hotel Group, they had a joint hotel project contract.

“They claimed that they had secured Lagos State Government’s approval, town planning approval and other relevant title documents and authorisation from government to build the said hotel.

“The defendants claimed that the money in question was needed as the equity or counterpart fund from INDECO for onward payment by them to Wyndham Hotel Group Ltd.

“This was to serve as a proof of the complainant’s commitment to the project.”

Agwu also alleged that the defendants fraudulently claimed that upon their equity or counterpart financing of the project, they would make INDECO a major shareholder in the hotel when once completed and operational.

Agwu added that the defendants knew that the representation was false and recklessly made to officers, agents and staff of INDECO.

Newsmen report that the alleged offences violate Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2016, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

TodayNG