An Indian national, Yuvraj Kumar Mehra, has been arraigned by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on eight count charges bordering on conspiracy and issuance of a dud cheque in the sum of N70 million.

The defendant was arraigned before Justice Olanrawaju Majekobe of the Ogun State High Court alongside his firm, Dolphin Steels Nigeria Limited.

Yuvraj was docked for failing to pay the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) the said sum for power supplied to his company.

Investigation carried out by the operatives of the Ibadan Command revealed that the defendant issued a total number of thirteen dud cheques for N125 million to IBEDC between October 2, 2018 and December 3, 2018.

IBEDC, the defendant made a part payment but reneged in paying the balance of N70 million while all efforts to get him to pay the outstanding sum were futile.

One of the counts reads: “That you Yuvraj Kumar Mehra, Dolphin Steels Nigeria Limited, Mohit Gupta (at large) and Sushil Kumar (at large), on or about the 5th of December, 2018 at Sango Ota within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired to commit an illegal act to wit: issuance of Dishonoured Cheque, an offence contrary to Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 30 Laws of Ogun State.”

Another count reads: “That you Yuvraj Kumar Mehra, Dolphin Steels Nigeria Limited, Mohit Gupta (at large) and Sushil Kumar (at large), on or about the 5th of December, 2018 at Sango Ota within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly and fraudulently issued Zenith Bank Plc Cheque No. 2493, dated 30th of November, 2018 in the sum of (N10, 000, 000.00) Ten Million Naira only, made payable to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, which when presented for payment was dishonoured on the grounds that no funds or insufficient funds were standing to the credit of the account on which the cheque was drawn.”

The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

Upon his plea, the prosecution counsel, Sanusi Galadanchi, asked the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendant pending the determination of the case.

Counsel to the defendant, Clifford Anuge, prayed the court to admit his client to bail as he informed that the bail application had been filed and served on the prosecution and the court.

Justice Majekobe, after listening to both parties, granted Yuvraj bail in the sum of N4.1 million and two sureties in the sum of N2,050,000 each.

She further ordered that sureties must provide the court with their “affidavits of means, passport photographs and one of the sureties must be a resident of Ogun State with landed property”.

Furthermore, the defendant must deposit his international passport with the court registrar.

The matter was adjourned till May 18, 2022 for commencement of trial.

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In another development, the EFCC on March 23, 2022 secured the conviction and sentencing of one Osinuga Oluwa Adeyemi and Musa Lanre Dauda before Justices Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court and Sherifat Adeyemi of the State High Court, both sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on separate one count charge each bordering on cyber crime.

The convicts pleaded “guilty” to the charges preferred against them.

Consequently, Adeyemi was convicted and sentenced to five months imprisonment while Dauda bagged six months community service.

Also, the convicts were ordered to restitute their victims as well as forfeit all items recovered from them by the EFCC.