A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday ordered the remand of a Ponzi scheme operator, Bamise Ajetunmobi.
Recall that Ajetunmobi, fled the country in 2021, over an alleged N7.5 billion fraud.
According to Channels, the decision was delivered on Friday by Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke after Bamise was brought before him and charged on 12 counts by the members of Force Criminal Investigation Department ForceCID (Annex) Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
The accused entered a not-guilty plea.
At the time of the defendant’s arraignment, the prosecution’s attorney, Morufu Animashaun, a legal officer in the Force CIID annexe in Alagbon-Ikoyi, informed the court that the defendant colluded with his wife Elizabeth, who is still at large, and their business to deceive victims by promising a false return on investment of 10%.
The defendant is accused of defrauding a number of people, receiving money from them in the amounts of N1.5 billion from Mr. Olawale Lawal, N500 million from Mrs. Kate Omu, N2 billion from Mr. Erhi Catherine Ojoboh, and N3.5 billion from Mr. Abioye Idris.
The prosecution informed the court that the defendant violated Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 as well as Sections 8(a), 1(a)(c), and 1(2) of the same Act.
He further informed the court that the offences violated Section 383 of the Criminal Code and were therefore punished under Section 390(a) of the same Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004).
Additionally, the prosecution informed the court that the defendant was charged in 2022, and that after the defendant went missing, the police obtained an arrest warrant from the court.
The defendant was taken into custody by Interpol earlier this year in Cote D’Ivoire.
Justice Aneke removed the defendant’s wife’s name from the charge after hearing an oral request from the police attorney, allowing for the continuation of Bamise’s arraignment.
Bamise entered a not guilty plea to the charges despite without having legal representation in court.
The prosecutor requested a trial date from the court after the defendant entered a not-guilty plea.
Additionally, he requested that the defendant be held in the care of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) pending the outcome of the allegations brought against him.
As a result, Justice Aneke ruled that the defendant should be kept in custody at the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre in Ikoyi and postponed the case’s trial date until November 29.
Justice Toyin Oyekan-Abdullahi rendered a decision in favour of 27 disgruntled Nigerian investors/claimants who were duped by the Nigerian couple, Bamise and Elizabeth Ajetunmobi, in a separate fraud-related case in July 2022.
After allegedly cheating them out of almost N15.5 billion, the pair allegedly departed the nation.
Days before retiring in February, Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi issued an order ordering the police to present Bamise in court after learning of his arrest.
The court issued the order in response to a request by the lawyer for the creditors, Adetunji Adedoyin-Adeniyi, who filed an ex-parte motion under the relevant provisions of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, requesting that Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi issue an order for the Issuance of Judgement Summons compelling Bamise to appear before the court and be examined regarding his ability to repay the judgement debt.
This did not happen until Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi departed and the case was moved to Justice Rasul Olukolu.
