Court Clears Oil Marketer, Aleem Olaitan Of $100,000 Fraud

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, of a Lagos Federal High Court, has acquitted and discharged an oil marketer, Aleem Sulei­man Olaitan, of $100,00.00 USD fraud, filed against him by the police.

In acquitting and discharg­ing the oil marketer of the four counts amended charge, filed by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Justice Anka held that the prosecution failed woefully to prove every ingredients of allegations beyond every rea­sonable doubt.

Apart from acquitting and discharging the businessman of the allegations, the judge also ordered the Police Spe­cial Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, to release to him all his properties seized by the police.

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The oil marketer, Aleem Suleiman Olaitan, was first arraigned before the court on March 8, 2016, on two counts charge of alleged false pretence and fraudulently obtaining the sum of $100, 000 USD, from a foreign company, Topkings Partner (HK) Limited, under the pretence of supplying pe­troleum product.

However, he vehemently de­nied the allegations and plead­ed not guilty to the charges.

Following his not guilty plea, the prosecution opened it’s case and called a total of seven wit­nesses as well, tendered some documents, which were admit­ted as exhibits by the court.

Upon conclusion of the pros­ecution’s case, the oil marketer opened his defence and main­tained his innocence on all the charges.

At the resumed hearing of the matter in January this year, the prosecutor, Mr. Emmanuel Jackson, an Assistant Commis­sioner of Police (ACP), who is also Head of PSFU’s Legal and prosecution Section, informed the court of the amended charge against the defendant.

This was, however, opposed by the lawyer to the oil mar­keter, Mr. Chimezie Victor Ihe­kweazu (SAN), who vehement­ly opposed the prosecution’s application for not obtaining the leave of court.

Upon the objection raised by the defence team, the presiding judge, Justice Anka, ordered parties to file their addresses on whether the prosecution can amend charges without leave of the court.

Justice Anka, ruling on submissions of parties, after citing series of legal authorities dismissed the objection raised by the defence, and held that the prosecution did not need the leave of the court to amend charges in criminal case.

The judge consequently or­dered that the amended charge be ready to the defendant to take his plea.