Voodoo Investment: Bank Manager dupes depositors’ N670million

Eze Mark Anthony and Barr. Adaobi Ofoma, Chief Jame Ofoma  

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, March 9, 2015, arraigned one Eze Mark Anthony, Managing Director, Dominus Vobiscum Investment Limited, before Justice B.M Agishir of the Federal High Court, Enugu State on an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N670million.

The accused person is being prosecuted for allegedly diverting depositors’ funds to personal use.

His company, Dominus Vobiscum Investment Limited, had entered into short-term and long-term agreements with some depositors.

According to the terms of agreement, customers who deposited the sum of N26, 000.00 (Twenty Six Thousand Naira) per slot for two months were to get   N6, 000.00( Six  Thousand Naira), while  those who signed a long-term agreement of three years would be given N30,000 per slot.  

Although a number of people were said to have invested on a daily basis in the company, the accused person allegedly defaulted on the agreement reached with the depositors.

One of the counts read: “That you Eze Mark Anthony and Dominus Vobiscum Investment Limited on or about 11^th August, 2011, in Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court Nigeria, transacted business without a valid licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 58 of the Banks and Other Financial Institution Act, Cap B3, Laws of the Federation 2004 and Punishable Under Section 59 (6) of the same Act”..

Another count read: “That you Eze Mark Anthony being a Director of Dominus Vobiscum Investment Limited and Dominus Vobiscum Investment Limited sometime between June to August 2011 in Enugu State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Three Million and Forty- Eight Thousand Naira (N3,048,000.00) from Okeke Valentine by false pretence when you presented yourself as an investment company capable of paying high returns on the said investment which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.

When the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him, the prosecuting counsel, Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, prayed the court for the commencement of trial.

The defence counsel, J.O. Nwatu, said he had a pending application for bail, but the prosecuting counsel objected on the grounds that he had just been served the bail notice in court.

Justice Agishir fixed March 16, 2015 for the hearing of bail application, while ordering the accused to be remanded in prison custody.