BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A resident of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Stella Idenyi, has been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abakaliki for allegedly defrauding some residents under false pretense by encouraging them to subscribe to the Ponzi scheme.
The middle aged woman was accused of collecting the sum of N11,960,000, from one Ngozi Eze, and N24,450.000 from Nwokpor Bridget. Names of other victims were listed as Ogbonnaya Chidimma, N4,745,000; David Okike, N1,190.000; Uzoma Okafor (amount undisclosed); Agha Oge Oti, Anya Ebere, Mgbada Amarachi (amount yet to be confirmed), allegedly under the Ponzi scheme between 2018 and 2019, in Abakaliki.
The Police prosecutor on the case, Inspector Chinedu Mbam, alleged that the defendant committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
The charge read, “That Mrs Stella Idenyi, between 2018 and 2019 at Number 5, Etake Street, Abakaliki in Abakaliki Magisterial District, did with intent to defraud, obtain under false pretence of empowering unsuspecting members of the public and collected from one Ngozi Eze the sum of N11,960,000; Nwokpor Bridget, N24,450.000; Ogbonnaya Chidimma, N4,745,000; David Okike, N1,190.000; Uzoma Okafor, unknown amount; Agha Oge Oti, unknown amount; Anya Ebere, unknown amount; Mgbada Amarachi, unknown amount, for an empowerment you knew was false or had reasons to know was false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”
The Point gathered that the defendant was a coordinator of Mavrodi Mondial Movement, a Russian company that engages in Ponzi schemes called MMM, in Abakaliki.
However, the defendant pleaded with the victims to give her time to refund their monies when the scheme crumbled but had yet to fulfill his promise.
During her arraignment in court recently in a suit marked MAB/550c/2021, the defense counsel, Daniel Iteshi, prayed the court to grant his client bail on the ground that she was presumed innocent until proven otherwise by court.
Magistrate Ngozi Ngele granted her bail in the tune of one million naira with one surety in like sum.
According to Ngele, the surety must be a civil servant not below grade level 12, under the employ of the Ebonyi State Government or a businessman resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
She said that the surety must swear to an affidavit of means and must show evidence of three-year-tax payment to the state government.
The matter was adjourned to a later date for continued hearing.
