Nigerian Foluso Omole arrested while fleeing Australia, charged over $5 million fraud
Foluso Omole, a Nigerian based in Australia, has been charged over his involvement in $5 million National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) fraud.
Mr Omole, 38, was arrested at Adelaide Airport as he attempted to flee Australia for Nigeria last Friday.
Charged in court on Monday, the court heard Mr Omole, a dual Australian and Nigerian citizen, had already purchased a one-way ticket to Nigeria to escape the country before he was arrested at the airport, ABC reported on Monday.
According to the prosecutor, Mr Omole allegedly improperly received information from an employee of the National Disability Insurance Agency over six years and used it to fraudulently obtain benefits.
However, Mr Omole’s lawyer, Mark Twiggs, told the court that “The charges against his client are denied. He has no record at all. My client has good reason why he should be given bail.”
Patrick Hill, the magistrate who presided over the case, refused bail for Mr Omole, saying he posed a flight risk.
“Whether it was a one-way ticket to Nigeria or a return ticket to London do make a difference as to the court’s assessment of whether or not Mr Omole is a flight risk,” Mr Hill said.
“For the other reasons put forward by the prosecution, in any event, I remain concerned that he is a risk of flight and the application for bail is refused,” he added.
Mr Omole is expected back in court in September.
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