An Ikeja High Court on Monday rejected an application to vary
the bail conditions brought by Marco Ramirez, an American, accused
of defrauding three Nigerians of $565,000 (N204.2 m) in a green
card scam.
In his ruling, Justice Hakeem Oshodi, the vacation judge said,
“There is nothing before this court to support the claims of the
defendant.
“The application is dismissed and I order that the file should
be returned to the registry.”
Ramirez had approached the court through his counsel, Mr Ademola
Adefolaju, to vary the bail conditions granted him on July 10 by
Justice Josephine Oyefeso.
The applicant has been remanded in Kirikiri Prisons for over two
months.
“Ramirez is unable to meet up with various bail conditions set
out for him by the court which included providing an executive
director of a company as a surety.
“At the moment, the applicant is ill and it is our sincere
prayer for the court to vary his bail conditions so that he could
fulfil them.
“My Lord, we have approached the court with the application for
the applicant’s bail conditions to be varied in the interest of
justice,’’ Adefolaju told the court.
On his part, the Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mr M.F. Owede, while opposing Adefolaju’s application,
told the court that “Ramirez is an international fugitive.”
“The defendant is a fugitive in the U.S.A. and he is already
flagged by the Interpol, despite the court was magnanimous to have
granted bail him bail on liberal terms.
“The court, by those conditions, did not ask for too much from
the applicant. My Lord, I pray the court to dismiss this
application and stick to the earlier bail conditions,” Owede
said.
Justice Oshodi, however, noted that the application could not be
heard because Ramirez was not present in court.
He said he could not just overrule Justice Oyefeso, the judge
handling the case, adding that the application was incompetent.
He said there was nothing before the court to prove Ramirez’s
alleged ill-health.
The EFCC had slammed 16 counts bordering on obtaining under
false pretences on Ramirez.
According to the anti-graft agency, Ramirez, the Managing
Director of three companies — USA Now Plc., Eagleford Instalodge
Group and USA Now Capital Group — allegedly committed the offences
between February 2013 and August 2013.
EFCC alleged that Ramirez fraudulently received $545,000 from
Godson Echejue to invest in his company — Eagleford Instalodge
Group — in order to procure an American green card (residency
permit) for him (Echejue).
He also allegedly received $10,000 from Abubakar Umar through a
non-existent investment programme in the U.S. which was billed to
make Umar eligible to obtain an American passport.
The EFCC also accused Ramirez of illegally receiving yet another
$10,000 from Olukayode Sodimu on the pretext that the funds were
facilitation fees with the American Immigration Services for an
American green card.
Justice Oyesfeso had on July 10 admitted Ramirez to $250,000
bail or its Naira equivalent with two sureties in like sum.
Oyefeso had ordered that one of the sureties should be resident
in Lagos and a director of a reputable company with landed property
in the state.
(NAN)
An Ikeja High Court on Monday rejected an application to vary
the bail conditions brought by Marco Ramirez, an American, accused
of defrauding three Nigerians of $565,000 (N204.2 m) in a green
card scam.
In his ruling, Justice Hakeem Oshodi, the vacation judge said,
“There is nothing before this court to support the claims of the
defendant.
“The application is dismissed and I order that the file should
be returned to the registry.”
Ramirez had approached the court through his counsel, Mr Ademola
Adefolaju, to vary the bail conditions granted him on July 10 by
Justice Josephine Oyefeso.
The applicant has been remanded in Kirikiri Prisons for over two
months.
“Ramirez is unable to meet up with various bail conditions set
out for him by the court which included providing an executive
director of a company as a surety.
“At the moment, the applicant is ill and it is our sincere
prayer for the court to vary his bail conditions so that he could
fulfil them.
“My Lord, we have approached the court with the application for
the applicant’s bail conditions to be varied in the interest of
justice,’’ Adefolaju told the court.
On his part, the Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mr M.F. Owede, while opposing Adefolaju’s application,
told the court that “Ramirez is an international fugitive.”
“The defendant is a fugitive in the U.S.A. and he is already
flagged by the Interpol, despite the court was magnanimous to have
granted bail him bail on liberal terms.
“The court, by those conditions, did not ask for too much from
the applicant. My Lord, I pray the court to dismiss this
application and stick to the earlier bail conditions,” Owede
said.
Justice Oshodi, however, noted that the application could not be
heard because Ramirez was not present in court.
He said he could not just overrule Justice Oyefeso, the judge
handling the case, adding that the application was incompetent.
He said there was nothing before the court to prove Ramirez’s
alleged ill-health.
The EFCC had slammed 16 counts bordering on obtaining under
false pretences on Ramirez.
According to the anti-graft agency, Ramirez, the Managing
Director of three companies — USA Now Plc., Eagleford Instalodge
Group and USA Now Capital Group — allegedly committed the offences
between February 2013 and August 2013.
EFCC alleged that Ramirez fraudulently received $545,000 from
Godson Echejue to invest in his company — Eagleford Instalodge
Group — in order to procure an American green card (residency
permit) for him (Echejue).
He also allegedly received $10,000 from Abubakar Umar through a
non-existent investment programme in the U.S. which was billed to
make Umar eligible to obtain an American passport.
The EFCC also accused Ramirez of illegally receiving yet another
$10,000 from Olukayode Sodimu on the pretext that the funds were
facilitation fees with the American Immigration Services for an
American green card.
Justice Oyesfeso had on July 10 admitted Ramirez to $250,000
bail or its Naira equivalent with two sureties in like sum.
Oyefeso had ordered that one of the sureties should be resident
in Lagos and a director of a reputable company with landed property
in the state.
(NAN)