The police on Monday arraigned an ex-employee of First City Monument Bank, Seun Awosanya; and an auto spare parts dealer, Amechi Osita, for an alleged scam of N66.5m.
They were arraigned on two-count charge before Justice Abdulazeez Anka of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The charges against Awosanya, Osita and one Okoli Kingsley, said to be at large, bordered on advance fee fraud and money laundering.
The police accused them of defrauding one Logic Vantage & Trust Limited by obtaining N66.5m from the victim under the false pretences that they were going to sell $300,000 to the victim.
The police accused them of stealing the hard currency, which belonged to Logic Vantage & Trust Limited.
Awosanya, Osita and Kingsley were accused of committing the crime sometime in March 2015, when Awosanya was still working with FCMB, where he allegedly secretly and unofficially changed currencies for spare parts dealers, including Osita and Kingsley.
The offences, according to the police prosecutor, Effiong Asuquo, were contrary to Section 1(1)(a)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006; and Section 15(1)(a)(ii)(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following bail applications by their respective lawyers, Oluwaseyi Savage and V. O. Nwachukwu, Justice Anka admitted Awosanya and Osita to bail in the sum of N2m each and ordered their lawyers, who had opted to stand as their sureties, to file undertakings that they would produce the accused in court for their trial.
PUNCH NG
