Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court, Awka division, Anambra State, has ordered the remand of a Bureau De Change.(BDC) operator, Chidera Okeke, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), over an alleged N446 million fraud.

The EFCC, in a statement on Friday, said its Enugu State Zonal Directorate, arraigned Mr Okeke, alongside his two companies; Paderlambs Investment Limited and Ishiugbo Nigeria Limited, on a three-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N446, 579, 629. 00.

Count one read, “That you, Chidiebere Christian Okeke, Paderlambs Investment Limited sometime between October, 2023 and November, 2023 in Onitsha, Anambra State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, with intent to defraud, did obtain from Izuchukwu Okeke of Alphard Candy and Sons Limited, an aggregate sum of four hundred and forty-six million, five hundred and seventy-nine thousand, six hundred and twenty-nine naira (N446, 579, 629. 00) which sum was initially paid into the account of Nwadili David Chukwuka, trading under the name and style of Ifeabata Ventures and subsequently transferred into the bank accounts of Padrelambs Investment Limited and Ishiugbo Nigeria Limited respectively, which you claimed to have remitted the RMB equivalent of the said sum to Izuchukwu Okeke’s business partner in China, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

Count three read, “That you, Chidiebere Christian Okeke, sometime in 2023 in Onitsha, Anambra State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High court of Nigeria, did make forged telex documents, purportedly emanating from JCI General Trading Pty Limited, 4169 Brisbane, Australia, knowing same to be false or with intent that the said documents might be used or acted upon as genuine, to the prejudice of Izuchukwu Okeke, the Managing Director of Alphard Candy and Sons Limited and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (2) (C) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges, prompting the EFCC counsel, Michael Ikechukwu Ani, who is an assistant commander of the anti-graft agency, to pray the court for a trial date, and the remand of the defendant at the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS in Awka.

The judge ordered the remand of the defendant at the NCoS, and adjourned the case to Thursday, for hearing of the bail application while the defendant.

The arraignment followed the handing over of Mr Okeke, by the State Security Service to the EFCC on October 30, 2024, after a petition by one Izuchukwu Okeke, who claimed that between September 2023 and November 2023, he gave the said sum to one Nwadili David Chukwuka, another BDC operator, to remit the Renminbi, RMB equivalent, to his business partner in China.

The petitioner stated that Mr Chukwuka told him that the money was given to the defendant to transmit to his partner, but when confronted, the defendant, who admitted receiving the money, instead of transmitting the fund, decided to refund the money by issuing a dud cheque.