A 56-year-old Ghanaian, Henry Djaba, on Tuesday appeared in a Gwagwalada Magistrates’ Court for allegedly cheating Trobell International Nigeria Ltd. of $12,000.

The police charged Mr Djaba who lives in Garki, Abuja, with criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The prosecution counsel, Dabo Yakubu, told the court the defendant chartered a flight from Trobell Aviation Ltd. from Abuja on November 13, 2020, to Malabo and Malabo to Accra and back to Abuja.

He said that the chartered flight was flown by Aliyu Ahmed and Luka, and all parties agreed that the defendant would pay $12,000.

He added that after service was rendered to the defendant, he failed to pay the flight fare.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence counsel, Bamaiyi Adejo, In his oral bail application, prayed the court to allow his client to maintain the administrative bail of $35,000 granted him at the police station.

Mr Adejo added that a former senator was already standing as a surety for the defendant.

He said that the defendant would not jump bail, adding that his ECOWAS passport had been confiscated by the police.

Magistrate Punarimam Balogun granted the application to allow the defendant to maintain the administrative bail condition already given by the police.

In addition to the bail condition, Ms Balogun ordered that the senator should swear to an affidavit pledging to present the defendant in court on any given date.

She adjourned the case until October 14 for a hearing.