Businessman remanded for allegedly issuing N60m dud cheques

Justice Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja Special Offences Court has ordered the remand of a businessman, Kassim Adeleke, at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.

The judge gave the order to remand the man charged with allegedly issuing N60 million worth of dud cheques.

“The defendant shall be remanded in the Correctional Facility pending hearing of his bail application,” the judge said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dada gave the order shortly after he was arraigned alongside his company, Liquid Waves Energy Ltd, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to a seven-count charge of issuance of dud cheques and stealing.

Following Kassim’s arraignment, the EFCC counsel, Mr Shamsudeen Saka, asked the court to remand the defendant.

The defence counsel, Mr Adetokunbo Davies, however, asked the court to grant the defendant bail noting that the offences the defendant was charged with were not capital offences.

He noted that the businessman had voluntarily gone to the EFCC office on Dec. 7, when he was invited by officials of the anti-graft agency.

Saka, in his response said that he needed to file reply to the defendant’s bail application.

Davies, thereafter, urged the court to remand his client in EFCC custody and not the Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.

The judge, however, did not oblige the request of the defence counsel.

According to EFCC, the defendant committed the offence between January 2021 and April 2021 in Lagos.

The businessman allegedly took a N60million loan from CFS Financial Services Limited, in favour of his company, Liquid Waves Energy Ltd.

In a bid to repay the loan, he allegedly issued six dud cheques of N10million each.

“The defendant had insufficient funds in his Polaris Bank account – 1771786381.

“He had issued the cheques in favour of the creditor, CFS Financial Services for repayment of the loan granted to his company.

“The cheques when presented at the bank for payment, were returned unpaid,” Saka said.

The offences contravene Section 1 (1) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) 2004 and Sections 278(1), (2) and 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The case was adjourned until Feb. 14, for hearing of the bail application.