A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos on Monday has dismissed the applications filed by two Indian nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg and a Briton, Marcus Wade, to quash a bench warrant issued for their arrest and extradition, issued against them on alleged $42,485,900 million USD fraud, for lacking in merit.
The two Indians and the Briton who is the Chairman of Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, and their companies; Agrico Agbe Limited, Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, are being charged before the court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) for allegedly defrauding Ecobank Plc of the sum of $ 42,485,900 million USD, with the pretence of using the money to purchase and import parboiled rice from India to Nigeria.
Counts one and four against the defendants in the charge marked FHC/L/562C/2022, dated October 7, 2022, read, โthat you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015 at Ecobank Plc, Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 422 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
โThat you, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Limited (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September, 2015 at Eco Bank Plc. Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence to wit: Cheating in that you caused Ecobank Plc to deliver monies to the tune of $42, 485, 900. 00 (forty-Two Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred US Dollars) which was intended by contract for the purchase and import into Nigeria of India Parboiled rice but never utilized the sum of money for the contract and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap, C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.โ
However, while the charge is pending, the defendants did not appear in court to take their pleas on the charges. This development made the office of the AGF, through its lawyer, Dr. Pius Ukeyima Akutah, now Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigerian Shippers Council, to file applications before the court for issuance of bench warrant and possible extradition against them.
The application was granted by Justice Akintayo Aluko, sometime in November 2023.
But the defendants, through their lawyers, Dele Belgore and Dr. Dada Awosika (both Senior Advocates of Nigeria), filed applications to quash the orders for their arrest and extradition.
The application was conspicuously countered by the AGF through its lawyer, Mrs. Kehinde Bode-Ayeni, who inherited the case file from Dr. Pius Akutah.
Justice Aluko in delivering his ruling said that the proceedings before the Magistrate court in Delhi, India cannot operate as a stay in Criminal proceedings in Nigeria because it is not purely a criminal proceeding; moreover, it is a proceeding in a Nigerian court as constituted by the Nigerian constitution.
The second issue is that an order of status quo granted by another court cannot vitiate the criminal charge pending in this court. The position of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which regulates criminal proceedings in Nigeria, has stipulated that the criminal and civil proceedings can be going on simultaneously.
On the final note, Justice Aluko held that โthere is no merit in the applications filed by the defendants.โ
The judge also held that the two applications lack merit and the same are dismissed.
Consequently, Justice Aluko adjourned the case to October 24, for report on bench warrant and further proceedings.