Nigerian court orders arrest of Indian Santosh Singh over N175m fraud

Federal High Court, Ikoyi

Federal High Court, Ikoyi

By Akin Kuponiyi

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has issued an order for the arrest of an Indian businessman, Santosh Singh who absconded after he was granted bail following his arraignment alongside his company Thramaseed Impex Limited and a Nigerian, Lakunle Bello Shola on a two count charge of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence goods worth N175,421,600.00.

In the charges filed in court, the prosecutor accused Shola, Singh, Thramaseed Impex Limited and one Vivek Bansal who is at large of allegedly conspiring to fraudulently obtain 240 metric tonnes of Sesame Seed and 118.9 metric tonnes of cashew nuts valued at N175,421 million from Continental Logistics Limited,contrary to Section 8(a) and Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006 punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act sometime in August 2019.

The court ordered the arrest of the Indian businessman while adjourning his trial till 30th of January, 2023 on Friday.

This was after the court was informed that he has absconded despite the stringent condition imposed on him when he was granted bail.

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The two – count charge as filed before the court against the defendants by the prosecutor Barrister Azubuike Sylvester from the legal/prosecution section of the Nigeria Police Special Fraud Unit Milverton Road ,Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria, is stated below.

COUNT ONE

That you Lakunle Bello Shola ‘M’, Santosh Singh ‘M’, Thramaseed Impex Limited and Vivek Bansal ‘M’ now at large, sometime in August 2019 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves to commit a felony to wit: obtaining by false pretences 240 Metric Tonnes of Sesame Seed, 118.9 Metric Tonnes of Cashew Nuts valued at N175,421,600.00 (One Hundred and Seventy Five Million, Four Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Six Hundred Naira Only) property of a Company known as Continental Logistics Limited, contrary to Section 8(a) and Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006 punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT TWO

That you Lakunle Bello Shola big, Santosh Singh ‘M’, Thramaseed Impex Limited and Vivek Bansal ‘M’ now at large, sometime in August 2019 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, induces a Company known as Continental Logistics Limited, to confer benefit to you by transferring 240 Metric Tonnes of Sesame seed 118.9Metric Tonnes of Cashew Nuts valued at N175,421,600 to you by falsely representing to the company that you have sought and obtained the authority of the company to release the goods from the company’s warehouse in Lagos and Kano a representation you knew to be false or does not believe to be true and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(2) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act,but punishable under section 1(2) of the same Act.

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