The arraignment of 109 foreigners charged with cybercrime was stalled at a Federal High Court in Abuja due to their inability to secure legal representation. The foreigners, who are citizens of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Malaysia, and Myanmar, were recently arrested by the police.
The foreigners were apprehended at their residence in Abuja, where they allegedly engaged in cybercrime by promoting a fraudulent and unregistered gaming platform. They were charged with six counts, including cybercrime, money laundering, and unlawful residence in Nigeria.
The matter, which was fixed for their arraignment before Justice Ekerete Akpan, could not proceed due to the defendants’ lack of legal representation. The Inspector-General of Police had filed the charges against the foreigners. When the matter was called on Thursday, the I-G lawyer, A.A. Egwu, indicated his readiness for the arraignment of the defendants. However, Justice Akpan observed that the defendants were not represented by any lawyer.
Due to this development, the judge adjourned the matter until November 22 to enable the defendants to secure the services of lawyers for their trial. The foreigners were accused of aiding, abetting, and conspiring among themselves to commit an offense, to wit; cybercrime.
They were said to have committed the offense contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024). They were also alleged to have “knowingly access a computer and network and input, alter, delete of suppress data resulting in inauthentic data with the intention that such inauthentic data will be considered or acted upon as If they were authentic or genuine.” The foreigners’ inability to secure lawyers has delayed their trial, leaving their fate uncertain.
The police had arrested the foreigners at their residence in Abuja, where they allegedly promoted the unregistered gaming platform. The Inspector-General of Police had filed the charges against the foreigners, who were also accused of aiding and abetting cybercrime offenses.The foreigners were charged with six counts, including cybercrime, money laundering, and unlawful residence in Nigeria. Their trial has been adjourned until November 22, pending their ability to secure legal representation.
The foreigners’ alleged offense is punishable under Section 13 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.Additionally, the defendants were accused of laundering money generated from operating fraudulent and unregistered online gaming platforms, including (link unavailable), c2.top, 8pg.top. This offense is contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.The foreigners were also accused of violating immigration laws by overstaying their 30-day business permit and failing to obtain a valid resident permit or visa. This offense is punishable under Section 44 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 2015.
Source: https://pulse.ng/
