Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has granted bail to a company director and his firm who were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged issuance of a dishonoured cheque valued at N10 million. Justice A.H. Musa, presiding over the case, admitted the defendant, Liwa Sarirddine, and his company, Rhas Nigeria Limited, to bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum, following their arraignment on a one-count charge bordering on the alleged issuance of a dud cheque.
The defendants were arraigned by the Abuja Zonal Directorate of the EFCC before Justice A.H. Musa on Thursday, July 30, 2026, on a one-count charge bordering on the alleged issuance of a dishonoured cheque valued at N10 million. According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offence contravenes the provisions of the Dishonoured Cheque (Offences) Act.
The charge reads: "That you, Rhas Nigeria Limited, and Liwa Sarirddine (being the director of the said Rhas Nigeria Limited), sometime in 2020 in Abuja within the judicial division of this Honourable Court did obtain credit from Ismail and Partners in the sum of N10,000,000 by means of a cheque dated October 15, 2020, which when presented for payment within three months of the date, was dishonoured and returned on the ground that there was no sufficient credit standing in the account for which the cheque was drawn, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Dishonoured Cheque (Offences) Act, Cap. D11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Sections 1(1)(i) and 1(1)(ii) of the same Act".
When the charge was read in court, Sarirddine pleaded not guilty on behalf of himself and the company. Following the plea, the prosecution counsel, Mariya U. Shariff, prayed the court to fix a date for trial and also urged Justice Musa to remand the defendant in a correctional facility pending the commencement of proceedings. However, the defence counsel moved an application for the defendant's bail, and the prosecution did not oppose the application.
After hearing both parties, Justice Musa granted Sarirddine bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum. The court further ordered that one of the sureties must be a Grade Level 10 civil servant, while both sureties are required to depose to affidavits, which will be verified by the court registrar before the bail conditions are deemed fulfilled. The matter was adjourned to a later date for the commencement of trial.
Under Nigeria’s Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, issuing a cheque that is returned unpaid due to insufficient funds may constitute a criminal offence if the legal requirements are met. The EFCC has increasingly prosecuted financial crime cases involving alleged cheque fraud, advance-fee fraud and other economic offences. The allegations against the defendants remain unproven, and they are presumed innocent unless and until the court finds them guilty.
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