The trial of Stanley Okafor alongside his company, Larbrador Shipping Services Limited, over an alleged $111,500,000 fraud before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos could not continue on Wednesday, 13th July 2022 due to the absence of the defence counsel as the presiding judge further adjourned till 1st August 2022 for the defence to open its case.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused the defendant of committing the alleged offences contrary to Section 8 (b) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006; Section 361 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011, and Section 6, 8 (b) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Act, 2006.
The defendants are standing trial on an amended nine-count charge bordering on an attempt to obtain money by false pretence, forgery, and possession of document containing false pretence.
One of the amended counts reads: “That you, Okafor Stanley and Labrador Shipping Services Limited sometime between November 2019 and January 2020 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, did attempt to obtain the sum of Twenty-Two Million Dollars ($22,000,000) only from Zenith Bank Plc by falsely representing that Citi Bank was in receipt of the said sum.”
Another count reads: “That you Okafor Stanley and Labrador Shipping Services Limited sometime between November 2019 and January 2020 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, did attempt to obtain a cumulative sum of Eighty-nine Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($89,500,000) from Zenith Bank Plc by falsely representing that Citi Bank was already in receipt of the said sum.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the amended charges.
Justice Taiwo had on 8th June 2022 dismissed his no-case submission and ordered him to open his defence.
The prosecuting counsel, E.E. Iheanacho, informed the court that he got a message from the defence counsel, O. Chiemeke, Wednesday morning that he had a domestic accident and so won’t be in court.
Lucia Alyamor, who held the brief of Chiemeke confirmed the same, noting that her principal was not able to make it to court due to the said domestic.
Iheanacho, however, noted that in the said message the defence counsel did not state the nature of the said domestic accident.
Thereafter, Justice Taiwo further adjourned till 1st August 2022 for the defence to open its case.