By Dipo Olowookere
Globacom Limited alongside its Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Ashok Israni, an Indian, were on Monday, April 16, 2018, dragged before Justice A.O. Williams of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja with a one-count charge bordering on fraud to the tune of $6,786,674.61.
The duo were charged to court by Lagos zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Though the defendants were absent in court yesterday, the count read that, “Ashok Israni and Globacom, sometime in 2008, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, induced Emitac Mobile Solutions LLC Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to confer benefit on you by permitting Emitac Mobile Solutions LLC to provide you with Blackberry solutions services valued at $6, 786,674.64 on the understanding that the benefit will be paid for, which pretence you knew to be false.”
The anti-graft agency informed the judge that the offence was contrary to Section 1(2) (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.
In his address, the prosecution counsel, A.B.C. Oziokor, expressed regrets over the inability of the prosecution to produce the defendants, adding that “As part of efforts to ensure that trial commences, we bought the complainants all the way from Dubai.”
He, therefore, prayed the court for a date to arraign the defendants and Justice Williams consequently adjourned the case till May 15, 2018.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Business Post Contributor