Nelson NseAbasi
Reggae Star of the 80s, Victor Essiet, popularly known as Mandators, today Wednesday, January 25th 2017 appeared before an Ikeja Magistrate Court to defend himself in a case of fraud leveled against him by a business man, Maurice Etim.
The prosecutor in the case is the Commissioner of Police on behalf of Mr Etim, challenging Victor Essiet for defrauding him millions of naira, precisely the sum of $86,676 (Eighty Six Thousand Six hundred and Seventy Six Dollars) years ago.
It could be recalled that Victor Essiet had been arrested, granted bail and reported in the news severally in 2016, reasons being for duping the business man of funds originally meant to be for the purchase of trucks from the United States of America. Monies which he, Victor received in bits under pretense in the name of a company claiming to deal on truck purchase and shipment.
The case was brought before the court for hearing today with both the complainant and defendant present. Speaking, counsel to the defendant, Victor Opara tendered apologies for absence of his client during last hearing. He accepted his error in mistakenly communicating a wrong date of hearing to the defendant. Saying that to make up for that, he instructed the defendant to appear in court early today as could be and confirmed by the registrar.
In response, the police counsel stated that the representative of the chambers who appeared in court during the last hearing claimed that The Mandator is reported to have been ill, but failed to present any medical report to that effect. To buttress the fact that the defendant disrespects the court, counsel to the prosecutor, Barrister Nosa reminded the court that the defendant has continually deployed trickery ways of evading trial, having failed to appear consecutively the last three (3) hearings owing to health claims.
Speaking further, he said ‘following the issuance of Bench Warrant, and in the process of effecting it, the police officers were prevented by hoodlums when they met with Victor Essiet at the National Stadium, Surulere. Mr Nosa pleaded that the defendant be compel to stand trial, and as such applied for the defendant to be kept in custody while the case is being heard.
Counsel to Mandator- the popular Nigerian musician, Barrister Victor Opara pleaded for an out of court settlement, saying he and his learned colleague have exchanged series of correspondence on the matter, considering a possible dialogue and promised to liaise with the complainant and defendant to ensure an amicable out of court settlement.
However, Magistrate Aje Afunwa dropped the Bench Warrant and the case was adjourned till April 19th 2017 for trial.
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