Chief Sonny Allison
By Our Reporter
The scheduled trial of the Global Mercantile & Corporate Logistics Limited (GMC) boss, Chief Sonny Allison, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, over alleged N72 million fraud and issuance of dud cheques could not go on today.
At the resumed trial of trial on Thursday, counsel for the prosecution, Justine Enang, told Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, that the prosecution is ready for the trial.
But defence counsel Ndubuisi O, however pleaded that he needs a short date, to study the proof of evidence just served on him by the prosecution.
Consequence upon which the court adjourned the matter to December 12, for commencement of trial.
The businessman was arraigned before the court by the operative of Police Speech Fraud Unit (PSFU), IKoyi, Lagos, on June 15, 2023, on charges of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques.
Precisely, he was alleged to have used his company to fraudulently obtained the sum of N72 million, from a company, Sthenic Capital Management Limited, with the pretence of using the money to execute of a contract project, which he had gotten an approved Local Purchase Order (L.P.O) for.
The police accused the businessman of converting the said sum to his personal use, instead of using it for the purpose he obtained it for.
The prosecutor told the court that the defendant committed the offences in May, 2021.
The prosecutor further told the court that the defendant had on February 17, 2022 issued two Sterling Bank Plc’s Cheques numbered 00104770 and 00104772, valued N10 million and N820, 819, 10, 00 respectively, which were rejected when presented at bank, due to ack of adequate funds.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the defendant and his company, contravened sections 8(a) and 1(i)(a) punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud related Offences Act, 2006,
He also told the court that the offences are contrary to Section 15(2){b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act, 2011) as Amended in 2012. And Section 1(a)(i) of the Dishonoured Cheques Act, Cap 011, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The defendant had denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
