The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has sponsored the registered trustee of the Micheno Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Uno Michael Eke, before Judge Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court, based in Calabar, Cross River state.
He was prosecuted on a 74-count charge, for allegedly obtaining more than N320 million (three hundred and twenty million) under false pretenses from innocent Nigerians.
Tony Orilade, acting director, media and advertising for the anti-corruption agency, said Eke allegedly defrauded his victims through an alleged ponzi scheme by inducing his victims to invest in his Swissgolden packages, through his company, Micheno Multi- purpose Cooperative Society, under the false pretense of paying them 80 percent return on investment in just 40 days.
With this tempting lure, Eke deceived so many people through the scheme, and when his investors began asking for their expected capital and interest, he made himself inaccessible, both by phone and in person.
One of the charges against him reads: “That you, One Michael Eke (being the President/CEO of the Micheno Multi-purpose Cooperative Society) and registered trustees of the Micheno Multi-purpose Cooperative Society (MMCS) on or about the 12th July 2018 in Calabar within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of forty-seven million naira (N47,000,000.00) from a certain Briggs Nimi Osim by inducing her to invest it in his Swissgolden packages at through your Micheno Multi-purpose Cooperative Society Ltd, under the false pretense of paying you 80% ROI on your capital on the fortieth day of your investment, which pretext you knew to be false and therefore committed an offense contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In view of his plea of innocence, the attorney for the prosecution, TN Ndifon, asked the court to set a trial date and for the accused person to remain in pre-trial detention.
The accused remained in preventive detention, while the matter was postponed until June 13, 2019, for the bail request hearing.
It should be recalled that Eke had previously been prosecuted by the Commission for two separate charges of alleged fraud of N200 million and N301.2 million respectively. He is currently in prison custody even as more victims of his ponzi scheme continue to flood the Uyo Commission Area Office with petitions alleviating how Eke collected money from one person to pay the other only to renege when he could no longer hold your tricks.