The Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, arraigned one Saviour Inyang before Justice Okon A. Okon of the State High Court, sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on a one count charge bordering on issuance of dud cheque.
When the charge was read to him, he pleaded ‘not guilty’, and in view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, J. O. Abolarin Esq. prayed the court to fix a date for trial, to enable the prosecution prove its case against the accused.
But the defence counsel, Barr. David Akpanofim quickly made an oral bail application, which the prosecution vehemently opposed, on the grounds that the accused had failed to appear in court on three previous adjournments.
However, the presiding Judge, Justice O. A. Okon granted the accused bail in the sum of N3million (Three Million Naira only) and one surety in like sum. The surety must have landed property worth the bail sum, and same verified by the deputy registrar of the court.
But before adjourning to May 27, 2019, for trial, the Judge ordered that the accused be remanded in prison pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
The charge against him reads: “That you, Saviour Inyang ‘M’ carrying on business under the name and style of “SAVJANE WORLD TRADE VENTURES”, sometimes in 2017 at Uyo within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did obtain credit by issuing a STERLING BANK PLC Cheque No: 08743190 of Savjane World Trade Ventures dated 16/10/2017 with Account No: 0009700544 in the sum of Two million, eight hundred thousand naira (N2,800,000,00) only to Ndifreke Okon, carrying on business under the name and style of “NEMVICES NIGERIA ENT” which cheque when presented for payment within three months of issuance, was dishonoured due to insufficient funds in the account to cover the face value of the said cheque”.
Trouble started for Inyang after the Commission received a petition dated June 11, 2018 by Owoidoho Etuk and Ndifreke Oko, alleging that they were contacted by the accused person to supply him with 33,000,000 litres of diesel at N200 (Two Hundred Naira only) per litre, which sums up to a total cost of N6,600,000 (Six million, six hundred thousand naira only).
According to the petitioners, the accused signed their invoice after delivering the product to him and he assured them that they will receive payment within a month which never happened, and he eventually issued them a cheque for N2.8 million with the promise of paying up the balance after two weeks.
But when they presented the cheque on the agreed date, it was returned unpaid as the account was not funded, and all effort made to recover their money from the accused proved abortive as he continuously ignored their calls and never bothered to respond to any of their messages to him, hence they petitioned the Commission of Savior Inyang’s fraudulent transaction.