The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigerian Police yesterday charged a special assistant to former Defence Minister, Lt. Gen. T. Y. Danjuma (rtd), Mr. Manasseh Obadiah Zorto, before a Lagos federal high court for allegedly defrauding his boss to the tune of about N2 billion. The accused, who was said to be on the run, could not be arraigned before Justice Okon Abang on Friday.
When the matter came up, SFU lawyer, Chief Godwin Obla (SAN), told the court that the police were having challenges in bringing the accused to court. He said at the appropriate time, the police would apply for bench warrant for the arrest of the accused, but that the court should give the police more time to arrest him.
“My lord, we are in court today so as not to allow the matter to be unattended to. We humbly pray the court to grant us more time to bring the accused to court for arraignment,” Obla said.
“For now, we don’t want to apply for bench warrant but we will make more efforts to arrest the accused,” he added.
Justice Abang consequently fixed October 2 for arraignment.
According to the charge marked FHC/L/221C/14, the accused was said to have fraudulently used his position as an employee of Tita-Kuru Petrochemicals Ltd, T.Y Holdings Ltd and Central Realities Ltd, all companies linked to Danjuma, to steal about N2 billion from the firms.
Zorto was said to have used his position as executive director and special assistant, finance and investment to the chairman of the companies (Danjuma) to perpetrate the alleged fraud.
In the 19-count charge filed by the SFU, the accused was said to have defrauded the companies about N1.6 billion and $121, 468.
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