By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Police in Monrovia have arrested, investigated, charged and sent to court a Nigerian Naturalized Liberian identified as Jonas Ndubusi Ojimgba, age 61, for allegedly importing and selling a large consignment of expired fortune energy drink.
Defendant Ojimgba was charged with fraud on internal revenue of Liberia and forgery in violation of Chapter 15, section 15.80 and section 15.70 of the revised penal law of Liberia.
The 3,300XL drink brought into the country was criminally relabeled as Fortune power energy drink.
According to police charge sheet, on 13th of November 2021, members of the Liberia National police arrested defendant Ojimgba at his Logan town warehouse while offloading two forty footed containers of XL power energy drink that was rebranded as fortune power drink.
The defendant was acquainted of his Miranda rights, investigated and duly charged with the commission of the crime of “Fraud on Internal Revenue and forgery.
Police action taken
Upon receiving the complaint along with 40 cartoons of fruit of crime (FOC) along with defendant Ojimgba, the following steps were taken as recorded below.
The case was booked with an assigned number and that statement was obtained from defendant Ojimgba under the guidance of his lawyer Cllr. Momolu G. Kandakai of Gongloe and Associates.
A request was made to the defendant for his importation documents (IPDs) aimed at establishing legal processing and trace of evidence including the broker, this he didn’t do.
A bar code QR scanning was done on the can of the repackaged energy drink.
A request was made through the office of Wilfred Bangura deputy minister for administration at the Ministry of commerce and Industry to provide both containers importation documents (IPDs), including the Ministry’s certificate of origin and permit of importation on said shipment.
The team was requested for a lab testing and report from the Ministry of commerce and Industry on the fortune power energy drink XL power energy drink.
What did the Ministry of commerce say?
The Commerce and Industry Minister Mawine G. Diggs, informed the police through a communication reference detention of importer of banned fortune power energy drink addressed to Col. Patrick Sudue inspector general of police dated on November 15,2021, revealing that the herein defendant is involved with false labeling, operating without a business registration certificate which accordingly violates chapter 1 section 1.12, Chapter 4, section 4.2, Chapter 4 section 4.9 of the general business law of Liberia.
Defendant’s statement
Defendant Ojimgba being represented by his lawyer Cllr. Momolu G. Kandakai of Gongloe law and Associates explained to the investigation that he has been into tailoring for years and laters decided to switch into the business of beverages.
Accordingly, through an online search he came in contact with Rita food and beverages in Vietnam in 2020 and upon a successful discussion he defendant Ojimgba decided to import fortune power energy drink with his selected brand into the commerce of Liberia.
Explaining further, defendant Ojimgba averred that he has previously imported and started to sell a product called Runbull which was not in demand for which he decided to sell Fortune power energy drink on the Liberian market.
He concluded that on August 28,2021, he applied for booking of shipment of Fortune power energy drink through Maskline and when same was approved he was notified on November 7,2021, and that the two containers of Fortune power energy drink was taken out of the Freeport of Monrovia on Saturday November 13th, 2021, and offloaded at his warehouse in Logan town, Bushrod Island where he was arrested and brought in for questioning.
Investigation findings
That the defendant company Fortune Global trading company LTD. is operating without business Registration document.
That said shipment or goods was exported from Lagos, Nigeria to Monrovia by defendant Ojimgba which is contrary to his claims of it being imported from Vietnam.
That, the clean report of finding dated October 22,2021 produce and expiry dates June 6,2021-July 24,2023 contradicts the stamped dates of produce and expiry on the can.
That the QR scanner cannot identified the bar code on the Fortune power energy drink for the bar code on the XL energy drink with added date of produce March 15,2018.
That there was no certificate of origin or permit for importation through the Ministry of commerce and Industry giving approval of a chemical lab testing for importation.
That in order to deface the original identity of the drink, defendant Ojimgba criminally re-stamped the banned XL power energy drink presenting as Fortune power energy drink.
That defendant Ojimgba two 20footed containers birthed at the Freeport of Monrovia, were discharged on November 13, 2021 and placed in a structure warehouse belonging to the defendant located at Logan town.
Meanwhile, the defendant has been sent to the Monrovia Central prison to await court trial but his crimes are bailable offenses. Report by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com