Italian woman and her Nigerian accomplice arraigned for property fraud

The Lagos Zonal office of EFCC on Friday, March 29, 2019, arraigned Floriana De Stefani, an Italian, and Stella Ndubusi Ogboru 

before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a five-count charge bordering on forgery and stealing of a property belonging to a company, Waterside Properties Limited.

One of the counts reads: "That you, Mrs. Floriana De Stefani and Stella Ndubusi Ogboru, sometime in the year 2015 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, with dishonest intention, forged document titled, "Deed Of Assignment Dated 1983 Prepared By Rosamond O. Bakare", purported to have been entered between Mr. E.A. Abayomi Lowo on behalf of Waterside Properties Limited, on the first part and the late Luca Signorelli and Mrs. Floriana De Stefani, on the second part."

The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charge when it was read to them. In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Ahmed Yerima, asked for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in prison. Defence counsel, O. Adebola, however, moved the bail application of the defendants and prayed the court to admit his clients to bail.

Yerima confirmed to the court that the application was served on the prosecution yesterday. Consequently, Justice Dada granted the defendants bail in the sum of N250,000 with one surety each in like sum, who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and must show evidence of tax payment in the last three years, which must be verified by the court.

They were also ordered to submit their international passports to the EFCC, failure of which they should be remanded in prison. The defendants were also ordered to be released to their counsel pending the determination of the case. The case has been adjourned to May 6, 2019, for commencement of trial.