The Police on Tuesday arraigned a 30-year-old man, Ishola Emmanuel, at an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court over alleged forgery and illegal conversion of fund.
The defendant of no fixed address is standing trial on a two-count charge of forgery and conversion of fund.
The prosecutor, Insp. Oriyomi Akinwale, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometimes in the month of May in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state.
He alleged that the defendant, who was a credit officer at the Grace and Mercy Household Improvement Initiative Cooperative, gave out loans to customers and did not remit the repayment into the cooperative account, thereby forged the customers’ signatures.
Akinwale said the defendant forged the signatures of Olafemiwa Adeniyi, Celina Fagbemi, Aminat Jimoh and Kehinde Awojemilehin, who were all customers he gave out loans.
He also alleged that the defendant converted the sum of N2.6 million belonging to the Cooperative to his own.
According to him, the offences contravened Sections 467 and 390(6) (9) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
The prosecutor asked the court for adjournment to enable him study the case file and present his witnesses.
The defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Counsel to the defendant, Mr Samuel Awotile, urged the court to grant him bail, with a promise that he would not jump bail.
The Magistrate, Mr Bankole Oluwasanmi, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N85,000 with one surety in like sum.
He adjourned the case until Aug. 5 for hearing.
