Fresh Trouble For Innoson Boss As Court Declares Him Wanted

It is fresh trouble for the CEO of Innoson Motors, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, as a judge in Lagos has declared him wanted for failing to appear her court for arraignment.

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Mojisola Dada, had gave the order following a motion by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Anslem Ozioko, who told the court that it was the fifth time Mr Chukwuma has failed to attend the court’s proceedings.

Before making the order, counsel to the Innoson boss, George Uwechue, had said there was a pending application challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

“The learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria representing the second defendant (Innoson) is still insisting on taking his application without ensuring the defendant is physically present in court.

“The question, is, where is the second defendant? Is he too big for the court? Is he too big for the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is he too big because he has money? Where is he?

“What my learned friend, the defence counsel, are doing is contemptuous. We shall be applying for an order to declare the second defendant wanted,” Ozioko argued.

Following the argument of the prosecution, Justice Dada ordered, “The second defendant is hereby declared wanted and the case adjourned until June 22 for possible arraignment.”

Earlier, Mr Uwechue, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had requested that the court hear his application despite the judge’s declaration that no application would be heard until Innoson is physically present in court.

“At the last hearing, the court maintained its position that it will not take its pending application unless the first defendant be arraigned.

“We were about to cite our position regarding the court’s declaration but we were interrupted by the prosecuting counsel and that interruption led to today’s proceedings.

“Whatever we did that day, we sincerely apologise, we urge this court to allow us to continue our presentation,” Uwechue argued.

Mr Chukwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd., are to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, obtaining property by false pretenses, stealing and forgery.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.

The EFCC alleged that defendants with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain by false pretenses containers of motorcycle, spare parts and raw materials, property of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) from Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, Apapa, Lagos.

They are alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to them via their clearing agents the goods which were imported from China in the name of GTB by falsely pretending that they were authorised by the bank to clear the goods.

The offences contravened Sections 1(1)(b), 1(3), and 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2016 and Sections 309(9), 388, 465 and 467(1)(j) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003.