By Taiwo Adebowale, Senior Business Correspondent
IKEJA, Lagos — The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, presided over by Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe has scheduled the trial of Christopher Jackson Edeh to begin on May 30, 2024.
On February 28, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, arraigned him before Justice Abike-Fadipe on nine counts of charges pertaining to fraudulent false accounting, which is against Section 337 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, and unauthorised access to computers, which is against Section 387 of the same law.
In September 2023, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, one of the charges states: “That you Christopher Jackson Edeh, sometimes, while in the employment of Fidelity Bank Plc, with intent to defraud, altered the customer account details of Dangote Cement Plc in possession of Fidelity Bank.”
A further accusation reads: “Christopher Jackson Edeh, sometimes in September 2023 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to facilitate the stealing of the total sum of N2,737,784,800.00 (Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty-seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty-four Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira) kept in custody of Fidelity Bank Plc, secured the unauthorised access to Entrust portal of Fidelity Bank Plc.”
Additionally, he was accused of changing the bank account information of the Lagos State Government’s Blue Line, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ujukwu University, NNPC Trading Limited, Stallion Vision Ltd, and the Kano State Government’s Power Intervention Fund with the aim to defraud.
After reading the charges, he entered a “not guilty” plea.
Z.B. Atiku, the EFCC’s attorney, told the judge that the prosecution was prepared to present evidence against the defendant after the defendant entered his plea.
However, the defence brought up the defendant’s bail application, which caused the court to postpone the hearing until Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Defence attorney G.A. Daniel moved his client’s bail application during the hearing that was reopened and urged the judge to grant release because the offence was one that might be covered by bail.
After considering the motion, Justice Abike-Fadipe granted him bail in the amount of N5 million, conditional on the payment of two sureties, one of whom had to be the defendant’s blood relative.
The trial judge said, “The sureties shall depose to affidavit of means, must be gainfully employed and reside within the court’s jurisdiction, and must show evidence of tax payment for the last three years to the Lagos State.”
Judge Abike-Fadipe then postponed the case to May 30 and June 6, 2024, when the trial was to begin.
