A 46-year-old Lebanese expatriate named Mr Antoine Alromi, an of employee of a water engineering firm, Lana Engineering Limited, was yesterday arraigned before an Abakaliki Magistrate Court over alleged fraud and theft.
Also arraigned before the court presided over by Olughu Nnachi were three other accused persons of Nigerian national. They are Offia Amaechi (25), Malachi Ogbodo (39), and Gregory Ndukwu (42).
They were said to have conspired stole and sold 1.5 KVA transformers valued at N7 million.
The Lebanese and the second accused person, Benjamin Offia Amaechi, according to court records, allegedly stole the three transformers belonging to his company, Lana construction company limited in July this year.
The other two suspects Messrs Malachi Ogbodo and Gregory Friday Ndukwu were accused of unlawfully buying and receiving the stolen transformers from Alromi.
While Ogbodo was accused of buying and receiving one transformer at N1 million, Gregory was said to have allegedly bought and received two of the stolen transformers at N1.5 million.
When the matter came up for hearing, all the four accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge. The counsel to Offia Amaechi, Malachi Ogbodo, and Gregory Ndukwu, Gabriel Onyibe appealed to the court to grant them bail on lenient terms as they were well known citizens of the community.
But the prosecutor, Kenneth Adokeme opposed the bail appeal. He also asked the court not to grant bail to Mr Alromi who did not have a counsel. Adokeme, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), alleged that the Lebanese is an illegal alien who entered the country without proper documentation.
He further alleged that Alromi have perfected plans to jump bail by leaving the country immediately he is granted bail. The prosecutor further alleged that the Lebanese has also obtained money amounting to over N3 million from people through pretence and was set to be arraigned in another court.
In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate said that the offence was bailable, and granted Alromi bail to the sum of N10m with two sureties who must be civil servant on Grade level 15, while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th accused were granted bail to the sum of N5m with two sureties who must be civil servants of Grade level 10 or above .
Case was adjourned till November 27, 2017 for further hearing.
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