The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a middle-aged man, Osas Eledah, for forging the managers’ cheques of Guaranty Trust Bank PLC and United Bank For Africa PLC.

The commission arraigned Eledah on Wednesday before Justice Tijjani Ringim of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on five counts bordering on false pretenses and forgery.

The prosecution counsel, Kufre Uduak, told the court via a charge marked FHC/L/136C/2021 that the defendant committed the offences between June 2021 and July 2021 in Lagos.

Uduak said the defendant had in his possession a document containing false pretence.

Eledah pleaded not guilty after which Uduak applied for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in a custodial centre.

However, the defense counsel, E. Alabi, opposed Uduak and informed the court that he had applied for Eledah’s bail.

He prayed the court to, among others, consider the time the defendant had been in detention, which according to him, was close to two months.

“I pray the court to admit the defendant to bail on liberal terms.”

Subsequently, Justice Ringim, in a bench ruling, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10m with two sureties in like sum.

“One of the sureties must be no less than a grade level 14 officer in the Federal or State civil service, while the other must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction, among other terms,” the judge ruled.”

The trial was adjourned till September 21, 2021 as the defendant was remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Services Centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.