A suspected fraudster, Laolu Lakitan, was on Friday brought before Justice O. A. Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, use of false document and impersonation.

The accused person was alleged to have defrauded the complainant Pradeep Kumar Mehta, an Indian and his Company Enkay-Indo Nigerian Limited of 130.4 million Naira (about $366,000).

He also forged documents from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to that effect.

One of the Counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) read: “That you Laolu Balogun Ladimeji Lakitan between January 2013 and December, 2013 in Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N130,397,335.00 from Mr Pradeep Kumar Mehta an Indian National by falsely pretending to Mr Pradeep that the said sum of money represented the cost of Crude oil allocation which pretence you knew to be false ‘and committed an offence contrary to section 365 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2001”.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

A statement by the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said Justice Taiwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of 10 million Naira, two sureties in like some, one must be a family member while the other, who should have a landed property in Lagos with Certificate of Ownership, must be a level 12 civil servant.

She, however, remanded the accused person in EFCC’s custody because of his ill health and since he was already receiving treatment there.

Justice Taiwo told the court that his detention would be upheld, pending the perfection of bail application and subsequently adjourned the case to December 5.