Gold Merchant Docked Over Alleged N20m Scam
A gold merchant, Salmanu Abdullahi Hashim, has been arraigned before a Zamfara State High Court, over allegedly misappropated the sum of N20 million.
Salmanu was arrigned on a count charge of the offence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday, before the court presided over by Justice Bello Shinkafi.
In the charge, the antigraft agency alleged that the defendant misappropriated the sum of N20 million he obtained from the complainant under the guise of using the money to purchase gold for the complainant, one Isma’il Mohammed of Isamco General Enterprises, by diverting the money to his personal use.
The charge read that, “you Salmanu Abdullahi Hashim on or about 2nd December, 2020 at Gusau within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, dishonesty misappropriated the sum of N20, 000,000 (Twenty Million Naira) only property of one Isma’il Mohammed of Isamco General Enterprises under the false pretense that it was payment for gold meant to be delivered to the said Ismail Mohammed within two weeks and thereby committed an offense contrary to section 308 of the Penal Code”.
The defendant denied the allegation and pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge.
Sequel to his plea, prosecution counsel B.M Buhari asked the court for a trial date.
But the defendant’s counsel, Mukhtar Bashir applied to move a bail application for his client. But his plea was rejected on the ground that the application was only served on the court “this morning”.
Consequently, the matter was adjourned till June 30, 2021 for hearing of bail application and July 19, 2021 for commencement of trial. While the judge ordered that the defendant be remanded in a Correctional Centre.
