N882.8m fraud: Dangote’s Accountant, Businessman get trial date

Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Lagos Federal High Court, has fixed May 23, for the arraignment of Mr. Falako Emmanuel, an accountant with Dangote Nigeria Limited alongside a businessman, Adolphus Irunokha Peter, over alleged bribe and fraud of N886, 804, 776.12 million.

Also to be arraigned alongside the accountant, is a company belonging to the businessman, Adokhai Global Resources Nigeria Limited.

The defendants’ arraignment which was earlier fixed the for today, was scuttled due to the absence of the businessman and his company.

The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) has charged the defendants to court in a charge marked FHC/L/631c/23, on a four count-charge of unlawful conversion of the said sum and bribery.

In the charge, the businessman and others now at large, was alleged to have diverted 1,729,396 million litres of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO), valued at N882, 804, 776.12 million, property of DANGOTE Industries Limited, between September, 2022 and May 2023.

He was alleged to have bribed the third defendant, Falako Emmanuel, who is a former accountant with Dangote Nigeria Limited with the total sum of N3.6 million.

The accountant, Falako Emmanuel, was slammed with a count charge of receiving bribe of the sum of N3.6 million, from the businessman through his account numbers: 0003757075 and 0027824937 domiciled with Access Bank Plc.

The defendants’ offences according to the prosecutor, Barrister Elliott Ejie, contravened sections 21(a) and 18 (2)(b), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

However, at the resumed hearing of the matter today, the prosecutor, Barrister Ejie, informed the court that the business of the day was the arraignment of the defendants, having been served with the charge and proof of evidence through their counsel, Osakpolo Orobor, as directed by the court.

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Barrister Ejie also told the court that the businessman who is a natural being and his company, who is an artificial being, were not in court, except the third defendant. He therefore urged the court to ask the lawyer for the first and second defendants why his clients were absent.

But lawyer to the two defendants, Allen Agbaka, while admitting that the business of the day was report of service and arraignment of his clients, however stated that the prosecution served the order on the counsel whose name is not listed the order of the court.

He said the name of the counsel on the order was Osakpolo Orobor, while it was served on Asadu Chisom, (a counsel who was in court with the defendants’ lawyer, Allen Agbaka).

Responding, the prosecutor told the court that the order was served Asadu Chisom who in the same chambers with Osakpolo Orobor, whose name was on the court order told him, and based on what Osakpolo told him on phone.

However, the prosecutor sought for court’s leave to serve the charge on the defendants’ lawyer who was in court.

Justice Aluko, after listening to the counsel submission, ordered that the charge and the proof of evidence be served on the defendants’ lawyers who were in court.
The Justice thereafter adjourned the matter to May 23, for the defendants’ arraignment.

Charges against the defendants read: “That you Adokhai Global Resources Nigeria Limited, Adolphus Irunokha Peter ‘M’ and others at large, sometimes between September, 2022 and May, 2023 did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: fraudulently converting a total of 1,729,396 litres of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO), valued at eight hundred and eighty-two million, eight hundred and four thousand, seven and seventy-six naira, twelve kobo (N882, 804, 776.12), property of DANGOTE Industries Limited, thereby committed an offence contrary to section 21(a), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

“That you Adokhai Global Resources Nigeria Limited, Adolphus Irunokha Peter ‘M’ and others at large, sometimes between September, 2022 and May, 2023, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with intent to steal, did fraudulently convert a total of 1,729,396 litres of Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO), valued at eight hundred and eighty-two million, eight hundred and four thousand, seven and seventy-six naira, twelve kobo (N882,804,776.12), property of DANGOTE Industries Limited, which was undelivered in the course of hauling a total of 7,505,089 litres of the AGO to the Company’s plant at Obajana, in Kogi State and Ibese, in Ogun State, thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18 (2)(b), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

“That you, Adolphus Irunokha Peter ‘M’, sometimes between September, 2022 and May, 2023, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with intent to bribe and corrupt, did make bank monetary transfer of a total sum of three million, six hundred thousand naira (N3, 600, 000.00) at various times, into the private Access Bank account numbers 0003757075 and 0027824937 of Falako Emmanuel, an accountant employee of Dangote Nigeria Limited, to influence him to perform unlawful act in his employment, thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18 (2)(b), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.

“That you Falako Emmanuel ‘M’, sometimes between September, 2022 and May. 2023, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with intent to receive bribe, did receive bank transfers of a total sum of three million, six hundred thousand naira (N3,600.000.00), at various times, from one Adolphus Irunokha Peter ‘M’ into your private Access Bank account numbers 0003757075 and 0027824937 with name Falako Emmanuel, while in employment as an accountant with Dangote Nigeria Limited, to influence you to carry out unlawful act in your employment, thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18 (2)(b), Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under section 18(3) of the same Act.