Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, May 24, 2018, declared Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman, Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited, wanted.
Chuwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited, are to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain by false pretences, obtaining by false pretence, stealing and forgery.
The defendants allegedly committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.
The defendants were alleged to have conspired to obtain, by false pretences, containers of motorcycles, spare parts and raw materials, property of Guaranty Trust Bank, from Mitsui OSK Lines Limited, Apapa, Lagos.
They were also alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to them, via their clearing agents, the goods that were imported from China in the name of GTB by falsely pretending that they were authorized by the bank to clear the goods.
The defendants were said to have forged a bill of landing numbered 598286020 of Maersk Line Limited and 11007950841 of Mussui O.S.K. Line by knowingly putting a false GTB stamp and signature of the bank staff.
The alleged fraud was in order that the forged documents be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person within Lagos or elsewhere.
At the today’s proceedings, Justice Mojisola declared the Innoson Motors boss wanted, following an oral application moved by the prosecution counsel, Anslem Ozioko.
The judge had earlier issued a bench warrant against the defendant for not appearing in court for his arraignment, despite several invitations.
Justice Dada also declined to listen to any of the applications from the defence counsels.
She insisted that Chukwuma must appear before her in court.
While addressing the court, the prosecution counsel, Ozioko, informed said the court that the Commission had not been able to execute the bench warrant against the defendant.
