Justice O. A. Taiwo of the State High Court sitting in Igbosere, Lagos, on Thursday admitted as evidence a Zenith Bank Plc statement of account tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against Gnanhoe Sourou Nazaire, a citizen of Republic of Benin.
Nazaire is being prosecuted alongside Senou Modeste Finagnon , another Beninoire, for allegedly defrauding one Rachidatou Abdou and her company, Rana Prestige Manufacturing Industries Nigeria Limited, to the tune of N630 million.
One of the counts reads: “That you Gnanhoue Sourou Nazaire and Senou Modeste Finagnon between 5th January and 31st December 2012 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with a dishonest intent converted to your own use the sum of N141.46 million property of Rana Prestige Manufacturing Industries Nigeria Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 285(1) of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State.’’
At Thursday’s sitting, the document, which was admitted as exhibits B-C, was tendered by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, through the prosecution witness, John Olorundare, Chief Compliance Officer, Zenith Bank Plc. Lagos.
When the prosecution counsel sought to tender some other documents detailing the transactions on the account of the first accused person, Nazaire, the defence counsel, Ricky Tarfa, SAN, objected to their admissibility, arguing that they are foreign documents.”
Tarfa, who likened the documents to international passport, ECOWAS travels certificate, further submitted that the documents from the Zenith Bank were photocopies certified by the EFCC instead of the Corporate Affairs Commission and Zenith Bank Plc.
Consequently, Justice Taiwo adjourned to March 31, 2017 for continuation of trial.
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