The police, on Wednesday, arraigned Khrome Place Limited’s laundromat manager, Ngozi Achebe, before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Wuse, Abuja, for allegedly misappropriating N7.1 million.

The prosecution counsel, Sunny Emmanuel, told the court that the complainant, Ikunna Ifechukwu, reported the matter at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, on February 11.

Mr Emmanuel said that following an audit of the company’s account, the company discovered that N7,170,755 was missing on Feb. 10.

He added that police investigations revealed that the defendant received the money from customers through her personal account.

He further alleged that the defendant stopped going to work after the audit was carried out, stopped picking up phone calls, and blocked numbers on her phone.

The prosecution counsel said that the defendant was tracked and arrested.

The offence, the police said, contravened the provisions of Sections 312, 322, and 369 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.

The defence counsel, Ndidi Nicholas, in a bail application, argued that every accused person was presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Mr Nicholas said the charges against his client were assumptions.

The prosecution, however, opposed the defendant’s bail application, saying that she was a flight risk because the police had a difficult time tracking her.

The magistrate, Fatima Bukar, however, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety, who must be a civil servant on GL 10 and above.

Ms Bukar added that the surety must provide a copy of an employment letter, identity card, two recent passport photographs, and an address verified by the court’s registrar.

She adjourned the matter until April 14 for hearing. 

(NAN)