By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of First Nations Airways Limited, Kayode Odukoya and two others were on Monday November 30 re-arraigned before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja
Their re-arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Mojisola Dada was sequel to an amendment of the charge from N1.7 billion to N2.1billion fraud.
The defendants were first arraigned in March 2018 on four counts bordering on fraudulent conversion of N1.7billion belonging to Polaris Bank (formerly Skye Bank).
Odukoya was re-arraigned along with First Nations Airways Limited, and Bellview Airlines Limited on the amended seven counts charge against the three defendants which bordered on forgery of a Memorandum of Loss of Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy, altering of forged documents, perjury, and dishonest conversion of N2.1billion belonging to Polaris Bank.
When the amended counts were read to the defendants on Monday, they pleaded not guilty as before.
Justice Dada ruled that Odukoya would continue to enjoy the N10million bail granted him in 2018, following a prayer to that effect by the defence counsel, Edoka Onyeke.
The prosecution counsel for the EFCC, Nnaemeka Omenwa, told the court that he would be closing his case for the defence to open theirs.
However, the defence counsel made an application for the recall of the second prosecution witness, a Polaris Bank employee, as well as the investigating officer from the EFCC in view of the amendments to the charges.
After granting the application, Justice Dada adjourned the case till February 15 to 18, 2021.
