EFCC drags Jimoh Ibrahim to court - Accuses him of forgery, impersonation, fraud - I’m not aware of such case - Ibrahim

Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare, Lagos - 23.07.2008

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) has dragged Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, chairman, Global Fleet Oil and Gas Company Limited, before a high court in Ikeja, Lagos.

Mr. Ibrahim is to be arraigned on a six-count charge of forgery, altering of a document, impersonation and obtaining money by false pretences.

When the case came up on Tuesday before Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole, neither Mr. Ibrahim not his counsel was present in the court.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr. A.A. Adetunji, informed the court that the accused was granted administrative bail by the EFCC and he was supposed to be in court. He, therefore, asked the court to give him time to find out what happened and bring the accused to court.

Ibrahim was alleged to have obtained a loan of N1 billion in liquidation from the Trade Bank Plc. within Ikeja judicial division on 30 September, 2005 on the false representation that he is the Group Managing Director of VGC Communications Limited.

The case was a fallout of the petition written to the EFCC by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Justice J.O. Oyewole adjourned the case to 30 September to give the accused a chance to appear in court.

In his comments, Mr. Ibrahim said he was not aware of any of such case involving him as he was not served any summons on the case.

He said he could not be sued for the alleged charges as the company in question belongs to him.

The EFCC, he said, is purported to be acting on the instruction of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), which in turn reports to the Minister of State for Finance.

“I wish to inform the general public that Global Fleet Limited and VGC Communications are not in any way indebted to Trade Bank Plc (now in liquidation), for any amount whatsoever and that as at the time of exchanging a board resolution between the bank and VGC Communications, we were in possession of the company, VGC Comm, having made part payment of $32 million to the seller, Globe International Holdings Limited.

“It is of note that the transaction cut-off date was 31st January 2006, while the said board resolution was written and dated September 26th 2005. this was still within the period that we were in possession of the company.

“It is on record that the company borrowed money from Trade Bank, but this was paid within the period in the terms of the agreement of the facility.

“It is in view of this fact development that an owner of a company cannot be charged for forging the board resolution of his own company, this is rather absurd.

“Under the sales and purchase agreement, the board was directed to name the board of directors for the time being.

Nevertheless, as a law abiding citizen of Nigeria, we ask the EFCC to withdraw the case, in the event that they fail to do so and they lose, we shall sue for unlawful prosecution,” he said.