An Ikeja High Court on Thursday discharged and acquitted a travel agent, Ifeoma Anagha, charged with fraudulently obtaining a Nigerian Passport and Brazilian Visa.
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ( ICPC) had charged Anagha on two counts of obtaining property by false pretences and stealing.
Justice Hakeem Oshodi held that prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the essential ingredients of the offences it charged the travel agent with. The prosecution has failed to prove that the Brazilian Visa that was given to the complainant (Mr Uchenna Okoye) is fake.
“The defendant made a refund of N300,000 to the complainant.
“The complainant was deported and he called the defendant to notify her when he returned to Lagos.“It was agreed that another Brazilian Visa should be procured for the complainant,” he said.
Oshodi said that based on that, the complainant’s passport was collected and handed over to one Mr Chidi whom the complainant had initially collected the passport and his Brazilian Visa from, before living Nigeria.
“The passport and Mr Chidi cannot be located.
“The defendant had paid the complainant a sum of M300,000 in installments and also procured a fresh international passport for the complainant.
“This was the position before the matter was brought to court,” the judge said.
The judge held that there was no proof that the defendant had the intention of permanently depriving the complainant of his passport.
“The defendant is hereby discharged and acquitted of the two-count charge,” the judge said.
The ICPC had alleged that, sometimes in December 2014, the defendant fraudulently obtained a Nigerian International Passport and a Brazilian Visa from Okoye on the false pretences to procure another Brazilian Visa from him.
The ICPC also alleged that the defendant stole Okoye’s international passport and his Brazilian Visa.
