Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting
in Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, February 2, 2024, adjourned till March 25, 2024
further hearing in the trial of Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, who are
facing trial over an alleged N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economical and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, had, on Friday,
March 24, 2023, re-arraigned the two defendants alongside Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended
49-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence
contrary to Section 8 and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act 2006, forgery contrary to
Section 363 (3)(j) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011; and use of false
documents contrary to Section 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
One of the counts reads: "Nasaman Oil Services Ltd,
Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and
Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about the 9th day of November 2011
at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud ,conspired
to obtain the sum of N749,991,273.36 (Seven Hundred and Forty-nine Million,
Nine Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy-three Naira
Thirty-six Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria by falsely claiming
that the sum of N749,991,273.36 represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil
Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 10,031,986
litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported
to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and
imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd of British Virgin Islands
and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd Ex MT Overseas Lima,
which representation you knew to be false."
Another count reads: "Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman
Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi
Abdul-Afeez (still at large),on or about the 11th day of April 2011 at Lagos,
within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of
N1,480,074,125.61 (One Billion Four Hundred and Eighty Million Seventy-four
Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-five Naira Sixty-one Kobo) from the Federal
Government of Nigeria by claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to
Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation
of 20,492,982.50 litres of Premium Motor Spirit
(PMS),which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from
SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria
through MT Liquid Fortune Ex Mt. Hellenic Blue and Ex MT. Milleura, which
representation you knew to be false."
They pleaded "not guilty" to all the charges
preferred against them.
At Friday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel, S.K. Atteh
informed the court that one of the witnesses was indisposed, while the other
had flight issues. He, therefore, prayed
for an adjournment.
There was no objection by the defence counsel, Kolade Obafemi.
Consequently, the Judge adjourned till March 25 and 26, 2024
for continuation of trial.
The defendants were initially standing trial before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja. However, following Justice Onigbanjo’s withdrawal from the case on health grounds, the case was re-assigned to Justice Dada.
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