The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Lagos Zonal Office, on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, arraigned two suspected illegal oil dealers, Akash Kumar and Vishal Guleria at Federal High-Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
They were arraigned for offences bordering on alleged illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The defendants, who are both Indians, were arrested aboard a vessel, M.V. Bount, by the Nigerian Navy and subsequently handed over to the Commission for prosecution.
One of the counts if the charge-sheet read: “That you, M.V. Bount and Akash Kumar, on the 31st day of January 2020, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired among yourselves to commit an offence to wit dealing in 45 metric tons of petroleum products without appropriate licence.
However, the crime committed stated to be an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under Section 1(17) of the same Act.”
According to the charge sheet: “ That you, M.V. Bount and Vishal Guleria , on the 31st day of January 2020, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without license dealt in 45 metric tons of petroleum products and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(17) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation if Nigeria, 2004.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against them by the EFCC.
The prosecution counsel, Usman Buhari, prayed the court for a date to commence trial and for the defendants to be remanded in the EFCC custody, in the interim, pending their transfer to the isolation centre of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS).
Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa then adjourned the matter involving the first defendant, Kumar, to October 13, 2020 for commencement of trial and also ordered that he be remanded in the EFCC custody, in the interim, and later in the Nigerian Correctional Services if need be.
The judge also adjourned to October 14, 2020 for commencement of trial of the second defendant, Guleria, and also ordered that he be remanded in the EFCC custody, in the interim, and later in the Nigerian Correctional Services if need be.