Matilda Omonaiye/
Two suspected fraudsters were kept in prison custody today after they were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office.
Adeshina Afeez Kolawole and Olamide Edun Ayinla appeared before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a four-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Adeshina Afeez Kolawole, on or about the 5thday of December, 2018 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial division, with intent to defraud, had in your possession documents titled “United States of America” passport biodata page bearing the name Smith Tiffany Clark, which representations you knew to be false.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Samuel Daji, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed the court to remand the defendants in prison custody pending the hearing and determination of the case.
Nicholas Akagwe, counsel to Kolawole, the first defendant, and Z.S. Makinde, counsel to Ayinla, the second defendant, respectively told the court that they were just served with the brief this morning by the prosecutor, adding that “consequent to that, we have not filed any proper applications for bail on behalf of our clients”.
The defence counsels, therefore, prayed the court for a short date to enable them to file a motion for bail.
They also informed the court that their clients had approached the Commission, expressing their willingness to enter into a “plea bargain”.
The prosecution counsel, Daji, confirmed the defendants’ willingness to enter a plea bargain with the Commission.
Consequently, Justice Dada adjourned the case to July 3 and September 9, 2019, for trial and hearing of the plea bargain.
The Judge also ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody.
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