The EFCC is suing the GMD of a construction company over an alleged $600,000 fraud in Enugu

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Egwuche Chinyere Gladys, Managing Director of Brass Engineering and Construction Group of Nigeria Limited before Justice FO Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court sitting at Independence Layout, Enugu State.

He was taken to court for alleged abuse of office and embezzlement of $600,000 in public funds.

Gladys was charged along with a company, Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited with a twelve-count indictment bordering on money laundering.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited and Mrs. Egwuche Chinyere Gladys, while being the Group Managing Director of Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited on March 13, 2023 at Abakaliki, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, received a cash payment of $50,000 (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars), as partial payment for the 180220TPH Granite Crushing Line you sold to Patan Nigeria Ltd and Reinforce Global Resources Ltd (JV) exceeding the statutory threshold of N10, 000, 000.00 (Ten Million Naira) without going through a financial institution and breaching this provision, you thereby commit an offense contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and are punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same Act.”

Count three of the indictment reads: “That you, Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited and Mrs. Egwuche Chinyere Gladys, while being the Group Managing Director of Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited on March 15, 2023 at Abakaliki, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, accepted a cash payment of $50,000 (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars), as partial payment for the Granite Stone Crushing 180220TPH Lane that you sold to Patan Nigeria Ltd and Reinforce Global Resources Ltd (JV) exceeding the statutory threshold of N10, 000, 000. 00 (Ten Million Naira) without going through a financial institution and breaching this provision, you thereby commit an offense contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19 (2) (b) of the same law Act.”

The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. In light of his plea, EFCC counsel, EFCC Assistant Commander, ACE II Rotimi Enitan Ajobiewe prayed the court for a trial date to enable the prosecution to prove its case and for the accused to be returned to the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS facility in Enugu.

However, the defense counsel, Roy OU Nwaeze, SAN, informed the court of the pending bail application, moved it and prayed that the court grant bail to his client.

Magistrate Giwa-Ogunbanjo then granted the defendant bail in the sum of N200, 000, 000. 00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) with two sureties of similar sums. Each guarantor must own property that is within the court’s jurisdiction. The court also ordered the accused to surrender his international passport to the Registrar of Court and the EFCC to verify the guarantor’s address within seven days.

The trial was postponed until November 11, 2026.

The defendant, while Group Managing Director of Brass Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited, allegedly received cash payments totaling $50,000, in 12 tranches between March 13, 2023 and April 11, 2023, totaling $600,000. The cash payment, it is alleged, was part of the payment for the 180220TPH Granite Crushing Line, which the defendant and his company sold to Patan Nigeria Limited and Reinforce Global Resources Limited, which exceeded the statutory threshold of N10 million, as it did not pass through a financial institution.