Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, adjourned till July 12, 2023 “for mention” the N10m fraud trial involving a company, Stelmart Nigeria Limited, alongside its Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Mathew Oluwafemi Moses, and Chief Operating Officer, COO, Mathew Veronica Omolayo.
The defendants, who were arraigned on November 8, 2022, are being prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a nine-count charge bordering on stealing contrary to Section 285(9)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
One of the counts reads: "Stelmart Nigeria Limited, Matthew Veronica Omolayo and Matthew Oluwafemi Moses, on or about the 1st February 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use, the sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) property of 03 Capital Nigeria Limited."
They pleaded "not guilty" to all the charges.
At today’s sitting, the prosecution counsel, G.K. Latona, informed the court that the matter was for continuation of trial and that the prosecution was ready to proceed with the day's business.
"I have my witness in court," he said.
However, the defence counsel, Otunba Dele Babalola, informed the court that the defence had applied for consolidation of the trial.
"We have four different cases in different courts. Two are part-heard. And we have
written to the Chief Judge requesting the charges to be consolidated before one judge," he said.
In response, Latona, however, noted that "from a single transaction, different offences can occur.
“You can talk of consolidation in a civil case and not in a criminal trial."
Latona stressed further that contrary to the claim of the defence, "the trials are not the same."
After listening to all the arguments, Justice Dada adjourned till July 12, 2023 "for mention".
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