The Personal Assistant, PA, to a Badagry prince, Semasa James accused of defrauding his 26 siblings of their N500million inheritance has denied aiding or benefitting from the alleged fraud.
Afolabi Kazeem who is charged alongside Semasa over the purported inheritance fraud made the denial while opening his defence at an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Thursday.
Semasa is one of the offsprings of late Oba Afolabi James of Kweme Land, Badagry, Lagos.
He is also one of the administrators of his deceased father’s estate.
The prince is facing a five-count charge of stealing, forging of company resolution, fraudulent disposing of trust property and forgery.
While he and Kazeem are jointly charged with two-counts of conspiracy to defraud and cheating.
Led in evidence by the defence counsel, Mr Martins Oyingbo, Kazeem told the court that he is a first cousin to the 27 warring princes and princesses and he was involved in the disbursement of funds from the estate.
“I’am a first cousin to the children and my relationship with them is cordial, we have no issues, everyone is happy with each other.
“As relates with the estate, by virtue of the face of the work I do with Mr James (first defendant), the children come to me and I disburse funds from the estate,” he said.
Kazeem denied stealing N150million for himself or anyone from the estate as alleged in counts six and seven in the criminal charge.
“There was a transfer of N150million into the account of Komaj Nigeria Ltd (first defendant’s company) and some of that money went back to the estate’s account,” he said.
Denying any impropriety in the alleged theft of N150million, the personal assistant/manager said that cheques worth N300million from the sale of a property located at Dideolu Estate in Lagos were received in the presence of another administrator, Mrs Mausi Alakija.
He noted that the funds realised from the sale were also paid into the estate account.
Kazeem told the court that he took care of the school needs of the youngest children of the late king.
“The children of the last wife are Adesewa, Adenike and Adebowale. I took care of their school fees totaling N12million during the time they were at Babcock University.
“Mr James (first defendant) does most of the funding in relation to the school fees either from his personal account or company account. The alleged stolen N150million does not exist.
“If there is no money in the estate account, Mr James takes up the responsibilities and when money comes in, Mr James takes back what he had spent,” Kazeem said.
While being cross examined by the prosecutor for the police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) Mr Oluwafemi Olabisi, Kazeem said he could not recall the year the young children of the late king were at Babcock University.
He said he earned a monthly salary of N150,000 while working with the first defendant and denied syphoning funds from the estate account under the guise of estate expenses.
“The monies I received as estate expenses are not specific and if I want to pay school fees for example, I can only make a N150,000 withdrawal at a time from the estate account by the nature of the rules,” he said.
Countering Kazeem’s claim, Olabisi said that in August 2016, a number of withdrawals ranging from N100,000 to N700,000 were made from the estate account to Kazeem’s personal account under the guise of estate expenses.
The SFU prosecutor noted that most of the withdrawals, exceeded the N150,000 limit claimed by the personal assistant. Olabisi told Kazeem to give details of estate expenses.
Responding, Kazeem said that he could not recall what were the estate expenses for which the withdrawals were made.
When queried about the whereabouts of N30million allegedly mysteriously withdrawn from the estate’s account, Kazeem said the money was given to the first defendant and Mrs Mausi Alakija who are both the estate’s administrators.
Giving account of N2million he received from the coffers of the estate, Kazeem said the money was for work done in respect of the Dideolu Estate property that was sold for N300million on April 20, 2017.
“I discounted the fee to the broker from N12million to N6million and for reducing the payment to the broker, I was given N2million,” he said.
Olabisi told Kazeem that Semasa in his statement said the N2million was an “incentive”. Responding, Kazeem said “I would not be surprised if Mr James said that it was an incentive”.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo adjourned the trial until Sept. 24 for continuation of trial.
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According to the SFU, the prince abused his position of trust as an administrator of his late father’s estate by fraudulently converting N500million property from 2005 to 2017 in Lagos.
“According to the second count of the charge, the defendant had 2011, forged the resolution of a company called CAJ Industrial Enterprises dated Nov. 28, 2011.
“He had purported that the resolution was signed by his father, who was one of the directors of the company meanwhile his father had died nine years earlier on Jan. 30, 2002.
“The defendant had forged the resolution with the intent that it will be acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person,” he said.
The prosecutor noted that Semasa had fraudulently sold a property belonging to the late king’s estate located at Plot 1440, Ilesanmi St., Itire Road, Surulere to a private individual.
He also allegedly illegally leased another estate property located at Plot 282 Ajose Adeogun St., Victoria Island, Lagos to Ecobank Plc.
The SFU prosecutor also threw some light on Kazeem’s alleged role as an accomplice in defrauding the late king’s estate.
“Sometime in 2017 in Lagos, Semasa and Kazeem fraudulently tricked and cheated the beneficiaries of the late king of N150 million which was part of the proceeds of sale of a property located at Dideolu Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos,” Olabisi said.
The prosecutor noted that Semasa had also forged a purchase receipt dated Nov. 15, 2004 and an undated deed of assignment between himself, Bolarinwa James, Mrs Alakija (nee James), Hon. Justice Adebayo Adeniji and Mrs Saidat Taiwo.
According to SFU, the offences contravene Sections
383(1), 383(2)(f), 390(9), 421,434, 465 and 467 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
