The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police has docked a middle-aged man, James Abidemi, along with his company, for allegedly defrauding some multinational companies of the sum of N397 million.
The accused and his company, Diamondsmith De-Great Universal Petroleum Corporation, and some persons now at large were dragged before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for conspiracy and obtaining the said sum by false pretence.
Flood sacks 13 Anambra communities, renders 300 families homeless
Senate panel summons NNPC boss over oil theft, dilapidated refineries
A statement by the public relations officer of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Eyitayo Johnson, said the accused and others fraudulently converted N397 million to their personal use.
Johnson said the complainant in the case is a consulting firm that assisted to source and rendering payment services in foreign exchange for goods and services around the world.
According to him, the suspect’s company, Diamondsmith De-Great Universal Petroleum, allegedly received the aforesaid sum in tranches, between the 23rd to 28th May, 2022.
He said the money was meant for the purchase of 688,000 USD at an exchange rate of N577 per US dollar and that they were supposed to remit same as 250,000USD, 325,000USD, 100,000USD and 13,000USD to some specified beneficiaries in Mainland China and Hong Kong.
“The suspect provided fake telexes as proof of remittance to foreign business partners of the complainant while the money was actually diverted to another member of the syndicate, a banker based in Ghana who disbursed the funds to several other accomplices.
“Consequently, the unit solicited the cooperation of INTERPOL to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate that are outside Nigeria,” he added.
