EFCC Arraigns Cubana Manager Over $164,000 Fraud
Category: Crime News
The Economics and Financial Crime Commission on Wednesday arraigned a manager
with Cubana Group, Lucky Uchechukwu Ndukwe, for an offence bordering on
conspiracy to launder and money laundering.
Ndukwe, known better
as Cubana Prime Minister, was arraigned alongside one Precious Omonkhoa Ofure
before Justice Justice O.A. Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in
Ikeja, Lagos State, by the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC.
The
suspects were arrested recently by EFCC operatives following credible
intelligence received about their involvement in the fraudulent
activity.
READ: FG Charges Supreme Court Justice With Money Laundering, Age Falsification
Items recovered from them include the sum of $164, 000. 00 (One Hundred
and Sixty-four Thousand Dollars), iPhone mobile devices and laptop
computers.
The charge against the suspect reads: “That you,
Precious Omonkhoa Ofure and Lucky Uchechukwu Ndukwe, sometime in 2021 in
Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire amongst
yourselves and laundered an aggregate sum of $164,000 which form part of
$256,314 fraudulently obtained by false pretense from one Elena Bogomaz, a
Canadian Citizen, and converted the fraudulent money into the United States
Dollars with the help of a Bureau De Change Operator, which was then credited
into the bank account of Casa Cubana Estate Limited and Lucky Uchechukwu
Ndukwe respectively for the purchase of two and landed properties and
committed an offense contrary to Section 330 of lhe Criminal Law of Lagos
State, 2011.”
During their arraignment on Wednesday, Ndukwe
“pleaded not guilty”, while Ofure pleaded “guilty” to the charge.
READ: Femi Fani-Kayode Re-arraigned For Alleged N100M Money Laundering
Consequently, the prosecution counsel, M.K.Bashir, reviewed the facts of
the case and prayed that the defendant, Ofure, be sentenced accordingly.
Delivering judgment, Justice Fadipe found Ofure guilty and
sentenced him to three years imprisonment on two counts of conspiracy and
money laundering, with an option of fine in the sum of N2,000,000.00 and 100
hours of community service.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture
of all the items recovered from the convict.
Counsel to Udukwe, Chuks Arubalaeze, told the court about an application for
bail on behalf of his client.
READ: EFCC Arrests Banker and His Wife Over $1.49M Money Laundering
Justice Fadipe granted him bail in the sum of N5,000,000.00 with two sureties
in like sum.
Justice Fadipe also ordered the remand of Udukwe in
the correctional facility pending the perfection of his bail conditions and
adjourned the case to October 28, 2022, for commencement of trial.
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