FG Charges Chinese Nationals Accused Of Importing Fake Tyres To Court
The federal government yesterday charge two Chinese Nationals identified as Taolung Shem, 36 and Xu Jimg Yao, 22 and their Nigerian accomplice, Chinedu Madubuike before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly importing substandard tyres into Nigeria.
The trio were charged before the court alongside their companies, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedeca International Limited on a five count charge of conspiracy, counterfeiting and illegal importation.
The accused persons were arrested in Lagos, last month by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) monitoring and enforcement team for allegedly importing tyres which did not meet Nigeria Industrial standard.
In a five counts charge filed against the defendants by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the accused were alleged to have conspired among themselves and imported tyres which did not meet the relevant Nigeria industrial standards through means of stuffing various sizes of tyres into one, knowing same to be in dangerous state or injurious to life of human beings.
Another charge against the defendants reads: That you Taolung Shen ‘M’, Xu Jim Yao ‘M’, Sino Nigeria Limited, Nedeca International Limited and Chinedu Madubuike ‘M’ sometimes in the month of February, 2017 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable did conspire among yourself, and imported tyres which did not comply with mandatory standards on account of your act of stuffing various sizes of tyres into one which makes the tyres to be unfit for purpose and not complying with the mandatory standard and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 26(2)(b)(iii) of the Standards Organisation Act No. 14, 2015 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
However, the plea of the accused persons could not be taken on Wednesday on due to language barrier.
When the matter came up for hearing, the prosecutor from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Babatunde Alajogun informed the court that the matter is for arraignment of the accused persons and urged the court to direct that the charge be read to them..
But one of the defence lawyer, Victor Okpara informed the trial judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun that one of the defendants does not speak English, saying he had contacted the Chinese consulate in Lagos for an interpreter who would interpret the charge to the accused persons.
Responding the prosecutor said he was not aware that the defendants cannot speak English.
The prosecutor therefore applied that the court should remand the defendants in prison’s custody pending when their plea will be taken.
But Justice Olatoregun turned down the request and ordered that the accused should remain in police custody till March 20 when their plea will be taken through the aide of an interpreter.
