The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arraigned one Edmund Opara and his wife, Amarachi, before Justice O.O Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court Owerri, Imo State, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The accused persons were alleged to have collected money from one Okechukwu Ogbonna to the tune of Seven Million Naira (N7, 000,000.00) for a phoney sale of a land situated at Federal Low Cost Housing Estate 11, Umuguma, New Owerri.
It turned out that the said land, which was sold to Mr. Ogbonna, does not belong to the couple.
Count one reads, “That you, Opara Edmund Acho and Opara Amarachi on or about the 9th March, 2012 at Owerri, within Owerri Judicial Division, conspired between yourselves to commit an offence to wit: obtaining money by false pretence from one Okechukwu Ogbonna and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable Under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act 2006 “.
The second count reads, “ That you Opara Edmund Acho and Opara Amarachi on or about the 9th March, 2012 at Owerri within Owerri Judicial Division with intent to defraud, induced and obtained the sum of N7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira ) from one Okechukwu Ogbonna under the false pretence of selling part of a plot of land/property situated at Federal Low Cost Housing Estate Site 11 Umuguma, New Owerri, which do not belong to you, the pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”.
In view of their plea, the prosecution counsel, Ifeanyi Agwu, applied for a date for the commencement of trial but the defence counsel, Umunna Nwaorgu orally presented a bail application and urged the court to admit his clients to bail.
The matter was adjourned to May 22 for hearing of the bail application while the accused person are remanded in prison custody.
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