By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Ambrose Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday adjourned till January 23 and 24, 2025 the trial of a 46 year-old businessman, Subair Mohammed alleged to have fraudulently converted the sum of N60, 480,000 proceeds of unlawful activities to his personal account.
According to the one count charge, Subair Mohammed who is the Director and Chief Financial Officer of West Atlantic Port Services Limited and the Managing Director of West Ports Services Limited and others now at large, were alleged to have sometimes in January 2022 converted the sum of N60,480,000 transferred to Achills Energy Services Limited to his company’s bank account number 5400276228 domiciled with Providus Bank, on the instruction of Abdulmumin Butah which he derived directly from the criminal act of obtaining Money by false pretence against the said Achills Energy Limited with the aim of concealing the origin of the funds.
Subair Mohammed had earlier been arraigned before the court and was admitted to bail.
When the case came up for trial before Justice Allagoa today Tuesday, the Police Prosecutor, Mr Henry Obazi called the first prosecution witness, but after leading the witness in evidence for a few minutes, the prosecutor realised that some of the original documents it needed to tender had already been tendered in a sister case before the Ikeja Special Offences court.
Consequently, Obazi sought for adjournment so as to enable the prosecution put its house in order.
The defence counsel Ms Aminat Salawu did not object to the adjournment.
Justice Allagoa consequently adjourned the matter till January 23 and 24 , 2025 for trial.
The one count charge against the defendant reads:
That you Subair Mohammed Director and Chief Financial Officer of West Atlantic Port Services Limited and the Managing Director of West Ports Services Limited and others (now at large) sometimes in January 2022 in the Lagos judicial division of this Honourable court did converts the sum of Sixty million, Four Hundred and eighty Thousand Naira (N60 480,000) transferred to Achills Energy Services Limited to your company’s bank account number 5400276228 domiciled with Providus Bank on the instruction of Abdulmumin Butah which he derived directly from the criminal act of obtaining Money by false pretence against the said Achills Energy Limited, with the aim of concealing the origin of the funds and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 15 (a) and punishable under Section 15 (2) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act. 2011.
