*Alhaji Mohammed Asibelu, Risks Arrest As GTB Accuses Him and Others of Fraud*If Alhaji Mohammed Asibelu and others acused of having defrauded Guarantee Trust Bank (GTBANK) of certain amounts of money, fail to appear before Honourable Justice Belgore, on May 8, 2024, they may be risking being declared wanted by the authorities.
This was the position of the Police Prosecutor and Head of Chambers of the Nigeria Police Force, Barrister Simon Lough (SAN), after the accused persons failed to show up and take their pleas in the criminal Charge pending against them on March, 13, 2024.
The respected Police Prosecutor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barrister Lough, told reporters immediately after the court sitting at the FCT High Court on March, 13, 2024, that the absence of the defendants had constrained the court to adjourn the matter to May, 8, 2024.
Meanwhile, Counsel to GTBANK, Barrister Kennedy Eze Esq., also told journalists that the attitude of the defendant has dragged the matter since 2021 till date. He maintained that GTBANK, as a law abiding entity, will remain faithful and consistent with the law, insisting that no matter how far the accused may wish to run, the law will eventually take its course, Eze affirmed.
Recall that the Nigeria Police Force had alleged that between December 18, 2006 and May 30, 2007, Alhaji Mohammed Asibelu, acting in concerts with others and with an intention to defraud Guaranty Trust Bank, collected the title documents deposited with the bank under false pretence and used same document to obtain yet another loan from from Aso Savings and Savings Plc. The Prosecution further alleged that between December 2006 and May 2007, Alhaji Asibelu had obtained the sum of $7,500,000.00 (Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) performance bonds in favour of British Gas exploration and Production Nig. Ltd. It was further alleged that the performance bond was procured under the legal mortgage conditions over landed properties in Maitama, Abuja. This also includes further undertaking to route $1.3million dollars quarterly through his account with GTBANK. All these were not followed through, the Bank alleged.
Instead, the Prosecution alleged that “Alhaji Mohammed Asibelu, surreptitiously collected the original documents of the collateral Maitama land on the pretext that he needed the AGIS to issue a new certificate for an extension of another land behind the original one already used for collateral. Rather than going to AGIS, “Alhaji Asibelu used same title document from GTBANK to obtain yet another facility from Aso Savings and Loans to the tune of N1.125,000,000.00.”
The Prosecution, in the charge sheet before the court alleged that Alhaji Asibelu has committed offence contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 312 of the penal code.