The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), Lagos Zonal workplace, has arraigned two Indians, Sahil Sharma and Pranjal Singh, earlier than Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal Excessive Courtroom, Ikoyi, Lagos, for offences bordering on alleged unlawful dealing in petroleum merchandise.
A press assertion by the EFCC Head, medi and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Friday in Abuja, mentioned Sharma, 31; and Singh, 20; had been arraigned individually after they had been arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Nguru, aboard a vessel, MV Bount, containing 45.9metric tonnes of AGO on January 31, 2020.
He mentioned the defendants had been subsequently handed over to the EFCC for additional investigation and prosecution.
The spokesperson mentioned the defendants pleaded not responsible to the fees most popular in opposition to them and in view of their pleas, the Prosecution Counsel, Abbas Muhammed, prayed the court docket for a trial date to allow the prosecution show its case in opposition to them.
He mentioned the Defence Counsel, Nelson Otaji, nevertheless, instructed the court docket that bail functions for the defendants had been filed and had been earlier than the court docket and pleaded that the defendants be remanded within the custody of the EFCC pending the listening to of their bail functions.
Oyewale mentioned prosecution counsel instructed the court docket that he simply bought the functions for bail and would, subsequently, want time to file counter-affidavits.
Muhammed additional instructed the court docket that the defendants can be examined for Covid-19 as a part of the necessities for them to be taken into the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
After listening to each events, Justice Aikawa adjourned the case until October 15, 2020, for trial and likewise fastened July 2, 2020, for listening to of the bail functions, whereas granting the applying for them to be remanded within the EFCC custody within the interim.
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