The Federal High Court in Lagos Friday ordered to be remanded in prison Managing Director of Richbon Nigeria Ltd, Cajethan Muonagolu, following his arraignment by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) through the Federal Ministry of Justice.
He was arraigned on a four-count charge of dealing in adulterated and substandard engine oil.
Justice Saliu Saidu granted him bail for N50million with two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties, the judge said, must be a civil/public servant not less than Grade Level 15 in the employment of the Federal or Lagos State Government.
The other surety must be the defendant’s relation who owns a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court ordered the sureties to deposit their passport photographs, while Muonagolu must deposit his international passport with the court registrar.
The prosecution and the court registrar are to verify the sureties’ addresses, the judge said.
Justice Saidu ordered that Muonagolu should be remanded in prison until he meets his bail terms.
Arguing the bail application, defence counsel Goke Olagunlehin, holding the brief of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.
But SON prosecuting counsel, including Messrs Babatunde Alajogun and Adeleke Olofindare, opposed the bail application on the ground that Muonagolu allegedly committed another offence while the charge was pending.
Alajogun said the defendant broke and removed SON’s official seal and evacuated 15, 000 cartons of suspected adulterated/substandard engine oil from his company.
The prosecution said he also allegedly assaulted SON officials in the course of their lawful duties.
The court ordered the counsel for the prosecution and defence to visit the warehouse to ascertain the breaking of the seal or otherwise.
Muonagolu and his company allegedly committed the offence last December 12 at ASPAMDA Trade Fair Complex, Lagos Badagry Expressway.
SON said they conspired to deal in 15,000 cartons of Prime Plasma, Prime ATF and Stanley brand of engine oil which it said are substandard.
The prosecution said the defendants claimed that the products were genuine, contrary to Section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act of 2004.
They also allegedly failed to comply with SON Conformity Assessment Programe (MANCAP) by dealing in engine oil that did not have the requisite MANCAP certification.
Their arraignment is coming less than a month after SON arraigned four men before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyibo of the same court.
Uche Johnson, Olaide Shittu, Kingsley Meteke and Abdulquadri Olayinka were said to have adulterated 128 drums and 9.45 litres of engine oil.
They allegedly claimed that the products with genuine engine oil and sold them to unsuspecting motorists. Their trial is ongoing.
SON undertook a nationwide raid on suspected adulterated and substandard lubricants in response to consumer complaints about engine failures caused by substandard oil.
The Organisation is also prosecuting other standards infractions relating to adulterated and substandard lubricants across the country.
Justice Saidu adjourned until May 20 for trial.
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