The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned Barrister Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo before Justice E. N. Oluedo of the Enugu State High Court in Independence Layout over an alleged N41 million fraud.
According to a statement released by the anti-graft agency on X.com on Thursday, Okonkwo is facing prosecution on a single charge of stealing by conversion.
The EFCC stated that the alleged offence violates Section 342 of CAP 30 of the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State and is punishable under Section 353 (L) of the same law.
The charge against Okonkwo reads, “That you, Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, on or about the 23rd day of November 2015 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently converted to your own use the sum of Forty-One Million Naira (N41,000,000.00), being money received by you from one Onyishi Maduka Samuel for the family of late Ifemelunma Okoye, in your capacity as the liquidator of Ifemelunma and Company Enterprises Limited, and thereby committed an offence.”
During his arraignment, Okonkwo pleaded “not guilty” to the charge. The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Ajobiewe Enitan, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
However, Okonkwo, who represented himself in court, sought permission to continue enjoying an earlier bail granted to him by Justice H. O. Eya in a related matter.
After considering arguments from both sides, Justice Oluedo ruled in favor of the defendant’s request and scheduled the trial for May 13, 14, and 15, 2025.
Okonkwo was first arraigned before Justice Eya on June 23, 2022, where he also pleaded “not guilty” and was granted bail.
In a related case, the EFCC had earlier arraigned another lawyer, Benjamin Nwobodo, before Justice F. O. Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Enugu on charges of forgery and obtaining by false pretence amounting to N12 million.
