A businessman, Cajetan Muonagolu, has been ordered to be remanded in prison custody by Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
He pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge of dealing in adulterated and substandard engine oil.
The court admitted Muonagolu to bail in the sum of N50million with two sureties in the like sum.
The judge ordered his remand pending the perfection of his bail conditions while ruling on his bail application.
One of the sureties must be a civil/public servant not less than Grade Level 15 in the employment of the Federal or Lagos State Government while the other must be the defendant’s relation with landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.
The court ordered that both sureties must deposit their passport photographs with the court while Muonagolu must deposit his international passport with the court Registrar.
The prosecution and the Court Registrar are to verify the sureties’ address.
Arguing the bail application, defence counsel, Goke Olagunlehin, urged the court to grant his client bail.
The SON prosecution team of Babatunde Alajogun and Adeleke Olofindare opposed the bail application on the ground that Muonagolu committed another offence during the pendency of the case.
Alajogun said he broke and removed the official seal of SON and evacuated 15, 000 cartons of suspected adulterated/substandard engine oil which SON put on hold.
He also allegedly assaulted and beat up SON officials in the course of their lawful duties.
The court ordered counsel for the prosecution and defence to visit the warehouse to ascertain the breaking of the seal or otherwise.
The matter was adjourned to May 20, 2019, for the commencement of trial.
The Federal Government charged the defendants with four counts of production, possession, dealing in and distribution of substandard engine oil.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
SON recently undertook a nationwide raid on suspected adulterated and substandard lubricants in response to a myriad of Consumer complaints and failure of engines occasioned by suspected substandard engine oils.
The arraignment of Muonagolu and his company, Richmond Nigeria Limited follows on the heels of other ongoing prosecution of standards infractions in relation to adulterated and substandard engine oils in Lagos and other parts of the Country.