Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has remanded one Ebioenang Monday George, to prison custody following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on 23-counts of forgery and obtaining by false pretense.
The suspect, through his company, Bravem Services Limited, according to EFCC, had posed as a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and obtained N37million from his victim in the guise of supplyingt 2million barrels of Bonny Light Crude.
He was arraigned before Justice E. A Obile, of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
One of the counts reads: “That you Ebioenang Monday George being the Managing Director of Bravem Services Limited on or about the 11th March, 2015 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of N19,000,000.00 from ICS Energy Limited through your Company’s account, Bravem Services Limited domiciled in First Bank Plc with account number 2016700822 by false pretense.
“When you presented yourself as a staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and capable of selling one cargo carrying Two Million Barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil, a pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) b of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act. No 14 of 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
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The defendant who was docked alongside his company, Bravem Services Limited, however pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In view of the defendant’s plea, prosecuting counsel, N. A. Dodo, urged the court to fix a date for commencement of trial
But Defense Counsel, N. A Obiecheton, prayed the court for a short adjournment to enable her file an application for the bail of the defendant.
Justice Obile ordered that the 1st defendant be remanded in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, while the matter was adjourned to April 7, 2020 for commencement of trial.
