Businessman goes to court to reclaim property forfeited to bank over alleged fraud


Anambra-born businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, who between 1995 and 1998 was alleged to have defrauded a Brazilian Bank of $242million would on Thursday, appear in the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division over attempt to reclaim a property he had forfeited in a plea bargain with the federal government.


Nwude forfeited the property; Plot 38B Mobalaji Johnson Street Oregun-Alausa, Ikeja Lagos after being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for defrauding the bank with promise to sell an inexistent airport in Abuja.
The businessman will be in court over a no case submission which had been dismissed by a High Court presided over by Honourable Justice M. A Dada in respect to offences relating to conspiracy, forgery, perjury, uttering, perversion of justice, giving false information to public officer and interfering with a forfeited property. Justice Dada had on September 13, 2019 dismissed the matter with charge No. ID/6407C/2017.


The businessman will be in court alongside his lawyers; Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu for conspiring to forge documents, with the aim of reclaiming a property, Plot 38B, now known as plot Y in Mobalaji Johnson Street Oregun-Alusa Ikeja, Mobolaji Anthony Ikeja Lagos property.
A press release by Chris Igbokwe, Executive Director G. C . Nweze and Company Limited which was made available to journalists in Awka, the Anambra state capital claimed that the property which was forfeited to the federal government by Nwude was later sold to his company, but Nwude who forfeited the property in a plea bargain with the federal government later started laying claims to the property, after his company had purchased it.


“EFCC has closed their case since January 2019 but the defendants, Emmanuel Nwude, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu named in the charge have not been able to open their defence, and will do so on Thursday.


“The world is watching the outcome of the no case submission before the Court of Appeal coming up on July 9th 2020 as Emmanuel Nwude, Emmanuel Ilechukwu, and Rowland Kalu and that is the reason for this press release. Nwude had previously abandoned his lawyers in Lagos while they stood trial, but he was arrested in Awka on 26 September 2017, where he was standing trial for another criminal charge, and brought to Lagos to face trial,” Igbokwe added. 

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