A 43-year-old Chinese man, Su Donghai, and two Nigerians, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor, 41, and Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun, have been charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged conspiracy, forgery, fraud of N1 billion, and money laundering.
The three men, alongside two firms, WNW Energy Technical Development Limited and Haoti International Limited, were charged before the court presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko on an 11-count amended charge marked FHC/L/695c/2024.
In the charge, the police, through the office of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Annex Alagbon-Ikoyi Lagos, stated that the defendants and others at large conspired among themselves to commit the alleged acts between January 2020 and April 2024.
They were also alleged to have fraudulently obtained the sum of N1 billion belonging to Cnots Energy Services Limited, represented by Femi Folayan.
To commit the alleged fraud, all the defendants were alleged to have forged 89 invoices, with the intention to fraudulently defraud CNOTS Energy Services Energy Limited.
In particular, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor, the first defendant, was accused of lying on an affidavit he signed under oath on February 13, 2024, at the Lagos State High Court Registry in Lagos. The affidavit said that Okafor had attached 29 invoice receipts from WNW Energy Technical Development Company Limited.
On February 20, 2020, in Lagos, Nigeria, he allegedly presented himself falsely as the Managing Director of CNOTS Energy Technical Development.
Between 2021 and 2023, the second defendant, Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun, was said to have hacked into CNOTS’s accounting records while working as the Chief Financial Officer of CNOTS Energy Services Nigeria Limited in Lagos, Nigeria. They accused him of adding fictitious numbers to the records without providing any invoices to support them.
Su Donghai, the third defendant, was also accused of putting N1 billion from CNOTS Energy Services Limited into Alikali Vivian’s bank account number 2065454879 and keeping the money. Su Donghai allegedly did this between January 2020 and April 2024.
It was said by the prosecution that the defendants broke sections 8, 1(3), and 7(2)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The defendants’ acts are also contrary to and punishable under section 20(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, Act No. 14. And sections 1(1)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP. M17 LFN 2004.
The prosecution also stated that their actions contravened sections 390(9), 117, and 484 of the Criminal Code Act, LFN 2004.
However, the absence of two of the defendants and the prosecutor delayed the planned arraignment of all the defendants on Monday.
Consequently, based on the letter for adjournment from the prosecutor and lawyers to the defendants, Justice Aluko fixed February 25 for their arraignment.
The amended charge against the defendants includes 11 counts.
“That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M,’ Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun ‘M,’ SU Donghai ‘M,’ WNW Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited, HAOTI International Ltd., and others now at large, between January 2020 and April 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did with intent to defraud fraudulently obtain the sum of N1 Billion (One Billion Naira) only belonging to CNOTS Energy Services Ltd. represented by Femi Folayan ‘M’ and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
There is evidence that Stanley Tochukwu Okafor (M), Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun (m), SU Donghai (M7), WNW Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited, HAOTI International Ltd, and others who are still at large laundered N1 billion (one billion naira) owed to CNOTS Energy Services Ltd, which was represented by Femi Folayan (m). This is against the law and is punishable under section 7(2)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M,’ Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun ‘M,’ $U DONGHAI ‘M,’ WNW Energy Technical Devpt Co. Limited, HAOTI International Ltd, and others who are still at large, transferred and kept N1 billion (one billion naira only) belonging to CNOTS Energy Services Ltd, which was represented by Femi Folayan ‘M.’ between January 2020 and April 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria. and committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 20(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 Act No. 14,
“That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M’, Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun ‘M’, SU Donghai ‘M’, WNW Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited, HAOTI International Ltd., and others now at large, between the year 2020 and April 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, forged 89 invoices with the intention to fraudulently defraud CNOTS Energy Services Limited represented by Femi Folayan ‘M’ and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 1(1)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP. M17 LFN 2004.
“That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M’, Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun ‘m’, SU Donghai ‘M’, WNW Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited, HAOTI International Ltd., and others now at large between the year 2020 and April 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did steal the sum of N1 Billion (One Billion Naira) only belonging to CNOTS Energy Services Ltd. represented by Femi Folayan ‘m’ and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act, LFN 2004.
“That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M, lied on an affidavit under oath on February 13, 2024, at the Lagos State High Court Registry in Lagos, Nigeria, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, attached 29 fake invoice receipts from WNW Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited. This was against the law and is punishable under section 117 of the Criminal Code Act, LFN 2004.”
That you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor “M,” lied on an affidavit under oath on March 18, 2024, at the Lagos State High Court Registry in Lagos, Nigeria, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, attached 89 fake invoice receipts from CONTS Energy Technical Devpt. Co. Limited. This was against the law and is punishable under section 117 of the Criminal Code Act, LFN 2004.
“That you, SU DONGHAI ‘M, between January 2020 and April 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did transfer money from Femi Folayan representing CNOTS Energy Services Ltd. into the bank account number 2065454879 UBA Plc of one ALIKALI VIVIAN ‘F’ and keep only N1 billion (One Billion Naira). This is illegal and punishable under section 20(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 Act No. 14.
“On February 20, 2020, in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, you, Stanley Tochukwu Okafor ‘M, falsely identified yourself as the Managing Director of CNOTS Energy Technical Devpt. Co., Limited.” This was against the law and is punishable under section 484 of the Criminal Code Act, LFN 2004.”
For some time in 2021 and 2023, Ogunade Oladele Oluwaseun “M,” while working as the Chief Financial Officer of CNOTS Energy Services Nigeria Limited in Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly changed CNOTS’s accounting records and added fake numbers without any corresponding invoices to back them up. This was illegal and punishable under section 1(1)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP. M17 LFN 2004.
