By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
A 21-year-old lady, Cynthia Chioma Atuonah, was Monday docked by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) Lagos before Justice Yelim Bogoro of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for defrauding a German citizen, Rudolf Markus Kampf, the sum of $410,000, about N110 million.
Cynthia Chioma Atuonah was arraigned on a 5-count charge bothering on the alleged offences which was read to her by the court registrar.
According to the prosecutor Mr Henry Obiazr, the defendant committed the offences between January and February 2022.
In the charge, the court was told that Cynthia succeeded in defrauding the German with false claims that she wanted to invest the monies in Spa business.
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It was further stated that the defendant received the monies in United States Dollars in the series of $10,000; $50,000; $100, 000; $45,000.and $205,000.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences allegedly committed by the defendant contravened Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Section 18 (3) of Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
After listening to the charge, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Following the defendant’s not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date, while urging the court to remand the defendant till the determination of the charges against her.
However, counsel to the defendant, Nwaenyi Ugo, informed the court of his client’s bail application, adding that he had served the prosecutor, whom he said had equally filed a counter.
He urged the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms.
But the prosecutor urged the court to discountenance the bail application on the ground that the defendant is a ‘flight risk.’
He told the court that the defendant ran away to Dubai after committing the offence and that she only returned after her associates were arrested.
After listening to the parties, Justice Bogoro ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) till May 19, when a ruling will be delivered on the bail application.