The Federal High Court in Lagos has assigned to an other judge the N85,914,500 fraud charge filed by the Police against three leaders of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC).
The case will now be heard by Justice Nicholas Oweibo after Justice Ayokunle Faji returned the case file to the Chief Judge.
The Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (Force CIID), Annex, Ikoyi, Lagos last February 17 arraigned John Rotimi Omotosho a.k.a Jorotom: Folashade Ogundipe and Boye Olaniyan before Justice Faji.
The defendants were accused of conspiring and defrauding the church’s headquarters at Imeko, Ogun State, of the sum under false pretence of using the money for the church’s development.
The police claimed that they issued several Zenith Bank cheques with which they withdrew the money from the church’s development project account with the bank, by false pretence.
Police counsel, Mr C. J. Ijeoma said the offences contravened Sections 8(a), 1(1)(a) and 1(1)(a)&(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2010 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Each defendant pleaded not guilty.
Justice Faji, while admitting the defendants to bail, signified his intention to recuse himself from the matter, for personal reasons.
The judge directed three members of the church to file an undertaken, affidavit of means and to produce a Bond of N350,000 for each defendant, before the trio would be allowed to go home, failing which they would be remanded.
Justice Faji held: “These members of the church, Adeosun Israel Oladipo, Assistant Shepherd, CCC, Jerusalem Cathedral, Shasha; Afolabi Tolorunloju and Surakatu John, workers at CCC, Jerusalem Cathedral, Shasha, shall file an undertaken to produce the defendants at the next adjourned date.
“In view of the issue, church and personalities in the matter, they shall be handed over to the three Church members, who will also produce Bond of N350,000, each and a means of identification”.
Ijeoma confirmed to The Nation that the defendants’ case has been re-assigned to Justice Oweibo.
He said their pleas on the fraud allegations will be taken on a date to be communicated to the parties.
Count one of the change marked FHC/L/226c/2019, reads: “That you John Rotimi Omotosho (M), Folashade Ogundipe (F) Boye Olaniyan (M) and Folafunmi Integrated Ltd between 2006 and 2018, conspired among yourselves to commit felony to wit; obtaining under false pretence, and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2010.
Count two reads; “That you John Rotimi Omotosho (M), Folashade Ogundipe (F) Boye Olaniyan (M) and Folafunmi Integrated Ltd, between 2006 and 2018, with an intent to defraud Celestial Church of Christ, fraudulently obtained the sum of N79, 154, 500, million drawn at different date in favour of Folashade Ogundipe with cheques from Zenith Bank Plc account number 1010529055 bearing the account name Imeko Cathedral Development Project Committee, under false pretence that you are using the money to develop Celestial Church of Christ, lmeko Cathedral, Ogun State.
Count three: “That you Folashade Ogundipe (f) in 2006 and 2018, with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtained the sum of N4,500,000.00 from Zenith Bank Plc Account N0. 21010529055 bearing the account name Imeko Cathedral Development Project Committee, through 10 different cheques drawn in favour of Folafunmi Integrated Limited on the representation that you were using the money to develop Celestial Church Of Christ Cathedral Imeko Ogun State, property of the Celestial Church of Christ, a representation that you knew to be false.
Count four: “That you Boye Olaniyan (m) between 2006 to 2018 within the Lagos Judicial Division with intent to defraud the Celestial Church of Christ, fraudulently obtained the sum of N2, 260, 000.00 (Two Million, Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) from Zenith Bank Plc Account No: 1010529055 bearing the account name Imeko Cathedral Development Project Committee, through 28 different cheques drawn in your name, under the false pretence that you were using the money to facilitate the contract of the Church Cathedral Project and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a)&(b) and punishable under section 1(3) both of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010