Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has fixed July 1, 2022, to deliver judgment in the trial of a United Kingdom, UK ex-convict, Ahmed Soetan Adebola.
The serial fraudster was arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an amended one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence contrary to Section 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The judge adjourned for judgement following his change of plea for not guilty to admitting his guilty as charged.
EFCC had on July 19, 2021 arraigned the Adebola before the Special Offences Court on a six-count charge bordering on possession of document containing false pretence contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
One of the counts reads: “Ahmed Soetan Adebola sometime between 2019 and December 2020 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court retained in your control several Credit Cards titled, “DELTA SKYMILES” AMERICAN EXPRESS which you used in making payments for your hotel bills, which Credit Cards you knew to have been obtained from unsuspecting members of the public.”
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Another count reads: “Ahmed Soetan Adebola on or about 16th day of December, 2020 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud had in your possession document titled “MANAGER’S CHEQUE” NO: 3052643382 dated 23-12-2020 drawn in favour of ANCHORAGE LEISURES LIMITED (RADISSON BLU) in the sum of N1,200,000 (One Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira) in order to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, which representation you knew to be false.”
He had pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Informing the court of the amended charge dated the 30th day of May 2022, the prosecuting counsel, Ahmed Yerima urged the Court to allow it to be read to the defendant so that he can confidently take his fresh plea of the new charge brought against him by the prosecution.
The charge reads thus: “Ahmed Soetan Adebola sometime between the 23rd day of October 2020 and 4th November 2020 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, checked into RADISSON BLU Anchorage Hotel for the sum of N4,449,633.12 with the understanding that your payment will be made using an American Express card with pretence you knew was false.”
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This time around the defendant pleaded “guilty” to the amended charge.
Thereafter, the prosecution called its third witness, through which the facts and findings against the defendant were presented to the Court.
The witness, an operative of the EFCC, Godwin Okara, narrated how the EFCC received a petition from the defrauded hotel by the defendant, which he also identified as the person in the dock.
He identified the petition from the Hotel and the statements made by the defendant while in the custody of the EFCC which were already before the court as Exhibit P and P5 to P6.
He said: “The Commission received a report from RADISSON BLU hotel sometime in December 2020 alleging that the defendant who had lodged in their facility, off and on, made payments through credit cards, American Express in favour of the hotel and that these payments were recalled by the unified payment system.
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“Based on the information, between 15th and 16th day of December 2020, the defendant checked in to the hotel again.
“Based on the allegation against him earlier, he was arrested and a search was conducted on him and nine different credit cards bearing different names were recovered from him, six out of the nine are American Express
“Two UK driver’s licences were recovered from him at the point of arrest, all of which contained the same information including the picture which was that of the defendant and the only difference was the name.
“The defendant was taken to the EFCC office where he was shown the allegation against him and he read through and thereafter he was interrogated further.
“He told us that the cards were given to him by one Jim Collins whom he met in the UK.
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“He also told us that he is aware that these credit cards are not legally issued and that he does not know the owners of the card and that his friend Jim Collins told him he used to pay bills like hotel bills, and that he has stayed in Federal Palace Hotel, Four Point Hotel, RADISSON BLU hotel among others.”
The witness, told the Court that further investigation was extended to the National Crimes Agency in the UK to confirm the authenticity or otherwise of the credit cards, the drivers license and the criminal record of the defendant if any existed.
He said: “The team received response from the NCA stating that the drivers licence were forged documents including the credit card and that the defendant was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment in the UK for offences bordering on fraudulent Bank card, motoring offences and others stated in their reply, in which they went further to state that the defendant was even deported.”
Thereafter, the prosecution tendered the nine credit cards along with the drivers licences in evidence against the defendant.
No objection was raised by the defence counsel, Olushola Bamidele, and so they were all admitted in evidence against him.
