Police arraign businesswoman over alleged N625.8m fraud, trial begins Jan. 22, 2025
By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
A Lagos businesswoman, Clara Ozioma Anthony was on Monday arraigned by the Police before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State for allegedly defrauding her business partners to the tune of N625, 875,000, with the pretense that she would supply them rice.
Clara Anthony was arraigned alongside her company, Flourish Clear Concept, before Justice Ibrahim Kala for swindling the complainants of the said money.
The defendants were arraigned before the court with 17 counts charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining under false pretence , stealing, fraud and conversion preferred against them by the Police.
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The Prosecution counsel Mr S. A. Ogala, told the court that the defendants allegedly conspired to commit the offences. Ogala said that the incident occurred sometime in August 2023 in the Oregun area of Lagos State.
According to the charge, the defendants allegely obtained the sum of N56million from one Chinemerem Enweremadu under the false pretense of supplying him rice, which they knew to be false.
The prosecutor further told the court that sometime in June 2022, the defendants fraudulently obtained the sum of N36million , from one Ifeyinwa Enweremadu, under false pretense of dealing rice business with her.
Ogala also told the court that between October and December 2023, the defendants obtained the sum of N58, 050,000 from one Mary Nwagodigwu and others over the pretense of supplying them rice.
“Sometime in May 2023, in Lagos State, the defendants fraudulently obtained the sum of N20,500,000, from one Amarachi Orakwe
“Between November 2022 and October 2023, the defendants also obtained the sum of N3,200,000 from Ebele Iwuchukwu.
“Sometime in October 2023, Anthony and her company fraudulently defrauded one Nkechi Andy and others of N410 million under the false pretense of supplying rice.
” Sometime in September 2023, the defendants defrauded one Ejiro Nwamadi and others of the sum of N6,125,000.
“Anthony and her company, Flourish Clear Concept, sometime in July 2022, fraudulently obtained the sum of N54 million from one Immaculate Nwosu under false pretense of supplying her rice, which they knew to be false,”
The defendants were also accused of dishonestly converting the said money into their use.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 1 (1) of the Advanced Fee Fraud 2006 and Section 390 of the Criminal Code 2004.
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against them.
Following the defendant’s plea of not guilty, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand the first defendant to the Correctional Centre.
Ogala said, “In view of the plea of the defendants we are praying for a date for us to come back and open our case and that the first defendant be remanded”.
But the defence counsel informed the court that he had filed a bail application for his client dated October 8, 2024 and then urged the court to hear the bail application and grant his client’s bail pending the trial.
He, therefore, moved the bail application which the prosecution did not counter but left it to the court to decide.
The prosecutor said, “I leave it to the court whether to grant it or not to grant it”
In his short ruling, Justice Kala granted the first defendant bail in the sum of N2million, with two sureties in like sum.
The judge ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant and the other a property owner within the jurisdiction of the court.
Justice Kala also ordered the first defendant to deposit her international passport.
He ordered that the prosecution with the court registrar should verify the property documents.
Furthermore, the judge ordered that the first defendant be remanded in police custody pending the perfection of her bail conditions.
He adjourned the case till January 22, 2025, for trial.
