EFCC Boss, IBRAHIM LAMORDE
Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a 42-year-old Congolese,
Seleto Papy, before a Federal High Court in Lagos, for unlawful
possession of fake $38,400 (N6.1m).
The EFCC, in a statement on Thursday by its
spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect was arraigned before
Justice James Tsoho.
It said after the charges were read out to the accused, he pleaded not guilty to them.
Prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, then
urged the court to remand him in prison and fix a date for the
commencement of his trial
However, defence counsel, Adeniyi Odunsi,
told the court that his client was entitled to a bail based on the
National Refugee Asylums Certificate.
He urged the court to exercise its power
judicially and judiciously, insisting that the accused was presumed
innocent until proved guilty.
Tsoho consequently granted the accused bail
and ordered that he should be remanded in prison custody until he meets
the bail conditions.
The suspect was therefore granted bail in the sum of N5m and two sureties in like sum.
The judge said the sureties must have
landed properties in Lagos and must be ready to submit their original
Certificates of Occupancy in addition to evidence of tax payment in the
last three years and two recent passport photographs.
Papy was arrested on February 1, 2012 by
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency operatives at the Murtala Mohammed
International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos en route to Congo Kinshasa.
The suspect, a pharmacist, who came to Nigeria in 2006 was said to have collected goods from one Alexis Mbunge, a Congolese.
The goods which comprised slippers and
singlets to be delivered to Alexis’ sister in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, had fake dollar notes stuffed in them.
But Papy said he did not check the goods
based on trust, until the consignment was searched at the Airport and
the counterfeit currency found.
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