A Federal High Court, Lagos, has ordered the temporary freezing of an
account owned by a Lagos-based lawyer, Laitan Fawehinmi, over alleged
N40 million fraud.
Justice Ibrahim Buba made the order following an ex-parte
application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
The judge suspended the lawyer’s
account number 0001172227 domiciled with Standard Chartered Bank,
pending the conclusion of investigation of the allegation.
The EFCC filed the application marked FHC/L/CS/1920/17, through its counsel, Mr. Murtala Usman.
The
Commission prayed the court for an order empowering its executive
chairman or any of its officers to instruct the Managing Director of
Standard Chartered Bank, to temporarily freeze the lawyer’s account.
In
an affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by an
EFCC investigator, Abdulrahman Ajigbotosho, the Commission said its Land
Property Fraud Unit (LPFU) received a petition on October 18, 2017 from
Emollient Law Practice, on behalf of K-Solaring Investment Limited
against the defendant.
The petition alleged that the lawyer
fraudulently obtained N40 million from K-Solaring Investment Limited,
under the pretence of having authority and mandate to sell a plot of
land at Abijo, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
Relying on the lawyer’s
representation, the complainant allegedly forwarded N40 million on April
25, 2017, to the law firm of Laitan Fawehinmi and Co., in accordance
with the instruction of the defendant.
The investigator averred
that after the money was paid, the defendant failed to put the
complainant in possession of the said property, and upon conducting due
diligence, it was discovered that the property was subject to serious
dispute.
The investigator also claimed that following
investigations, the account number in the schedule was traced to the
lawyer, who was the recipient of the money allegedly obtained under
false pretence.
The deponent urged the court to grant the application, pending the conclusion of the investigation by the Commission.
In a bench ruling, Justice Buba upheld the application.
