The Abuja zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, arraigned one Mr. Ebubechukwu Micheal Nwachukwu, alongside his company, Dalian Investment and Consultant Nigeria limited, before Justice Darius Head Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna on a one-count charge bordering on alleged offence of conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and cheating to the tune of N27, 000, 000 (Twenty Seven Million Naira).
The count reads: โThat you, Mr. Ebubechukwu Michael Nwachukwu being the Director of Dalian Investment and Consultant Nigeria Limited sometime in 2015, within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court while entrusted with dominion over property to wit: N27,000,000 (Twenty Seven Million Naira), which was paid into Zenith Account number 1014268433, in the name of Dalian Investment and Consultant Nigerian Limited for the purchase and import of spare part in respect of Defense Industries Cooperation of Nigeria (DICON), to supply General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) Spare parts, which sum you converted to your own use in violation of the mode in which such trust was to be discharged and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 and Punishable under Section 312 of the penal Code Law cap.532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990โ.
When the charge was read to the accused, he however pleaded โnot guiltyโ.
The prosecution counsel, Aisha Ibrahim, in view of the defendantโs plea, asked the court for a new date to enable the prosecution open the case against the accused.
But the defense counsel, Muhammad Nasiru Sidi, told the court of a written bail application filed on July 22, 2019.
The prosecuting counsel, while opposing the bail application, said though the offence is bailable but that the affidavit filed by the defence counsel is indicting; hence the objection to the bail application.
The defence counsel however withdrew the bail application and opted for oral bail application. โIn the circumstance my lord, we are withdrawing our bail application, which is dated July 22, 2019, and formally apply for oral bail application for the defendant based on the presumption of innocence by the accused personโ, he argued.
Justice Darius Head Khobo, after hearing the argument of the both counsels, granted the accused bail in the sum of N2, 000, 000 (Two Million Naira) only, with a reliable surety in like sum.
He ordered that the surety must be a resident of Kaduna State and must have a property with Certificate of Occupancy (CofO), which will be verified by the court registrar and the EFCC officials.
Justice Head Khobo, thereafter, adjourned the case to October 14, 2019, for hearing.
