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The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC), on Monday, arraigned a Nigerian, two Chinese nationals, and their company, before the Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged multi-billion Naira cybercrime.
The defendants-Huang Haoyu, Friday Audu, An Hongxu and a company, Gentting International Ltd, are standing trial on 12 counts of cybercrime.
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They each pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, told the judge, Daniel Osiagor, that the defendants committed the offences sometime in 2024 in Lagos.
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Mrs Buhari said that the defendant allegedly conspired among themselves to commit the offences with one Dualiang Pan, who is now at large.
She said that the defendants allegedly willfully cause to be assessed, computer systems, organised to destabilise Nigeria’s economic structure.
She also said that the defendants allegedly procured Nigerian youths, to falsely represent themselves as persons of foreign nationalities.
They were alleged to have procured one Chukwuemeka Okeke, to retain $1.2 million in his crypto wallet, which they ought to know forms part of fraudulent activities.
They were alleged to have also procured one Alhassan Garba and Ifesinaci Jacobs, to retain the sum of $1.3 million in their crypto wallet, being proceeds of crime.
They were also alleged to have retained in the Union Bank account of Gentting International Ltd, the sum of N3.4 billion, which also forms part of proceeds of their fraudulent activities.
The prosecutor alleged that they transferred, among others, the sums of N106 million, and N913 million, to Dualiang’s UBA account, which also forms proceeds of their fraudulent activities.
The transfer, as well as several other transfers, were said to be made from Gentting Ltd.
Besides, the defendants were said to have illegally negotiated a foreign exchange transaction with one Alhassan Garba, to the dollar equivalent of N1.1 billion, N962 million, as well as other sums.
EFCC alleged that they engaged in this foreign exchange, without going through the official foreign exchange market authorised by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
All monies are said to have formed part of the proceeds of their fraudulent activities.
She said that the offences contravened the provisions of Section 29(2) of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 2004.
It also contravenes the provisions of sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act 2015, as well as section 18(2)(d) and 21(c) of the Money Laundering Act 2021.
The court adjourned the case until 20 March, for hearing of the defendants’ bail application.
He ordered the defendants to be remanded in EFCC’s custody pending bail.
(NAN)
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