The ongoing trial of Emmanuel Nwude and two others for an alleged forgery continued today, 30th November, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, with a prosecution witness, Idi Musa, revealing how the defendants forged a Power of Attorney to transfer a forfeited property to one Mankris Ventures Limited.
Nwude is standing trial alongside Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu on a 15-count charge of forgery and dealing in forfeited properties.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Emmanuel Nwude, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, on or about 12th day of January 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, conspired to forge a Power of Attorney dated 12th day of January 2011, issued in the name of Mankris Venture Limited purporting that Mankris Venture Limited is the owner of Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun, Alausa Lagos, whereas you knew that the property was forfeited to the victims of crimes as restitution in the judgment delivered on 18th day of 2005 by Honourable Justice Joseph Oyewole in ID/92c/04- FRN vs. Emmanuel Nwude & six others and the victims subsequently sold the property to Rossab Industrial Design Limited and Rossab Industrial Limited later assigned to G.C. Nweze and Company Limited and committed an offence contrary to Section 467(2)(m) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C17, Lagos State, 2003.”
Musa, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told the court that though there Power of Attorney was prepared by Kalu, it was jointly signed by both Nwude and Ilechukwu.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, Musa further stated this was evident in the statements of the second and third defendants made to Commission.
“Mr. Emmanuel Ikechukwu and Roland Kalu admitted in their statements made to the EFCC that it was the second defendant, Kalu, who prepared the Power of Attorney and was given to Ilechukwu and Nwude to sign.
“When the first defendant was arrested, he denied ever seeing or signing any document titled “Power of Attorney.”
“He said he only consulted the services of the second and third defendant to help him recover a property legally.”
The witness also told the court that the second defendant wrote in his statement that he knew Nwude through the third defendant and that after the document was prepared, it was taken to the Magistrate Court.
“They later used it to claim ownership of the said property,” he added.
Justice Dada adjourned the matter to December 7, 2018 for continuation of trial.