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Lukman Olabiyi
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja ,has fixed May 15 for further trial of a legal practitioner, Kole Bello and three others docked for allegedly selling a dead woman’s property with forged documents.
Bello was arraigned before the court alongside Chukwu Victor, Friday Palmer and Osumah Terry, sometimes in October 2017, by the Lagos State Government on a three count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and forgery.
In the charge , Bello and others were alleged to have forged a Certificate of Occupancy (CfO) with reference number ,63/63/1989, dated Sept. 28,1989 of landed property in Lekki, belonging to late Mrs Francisca Awolaja.
The defendants were also accused of impersonating late Awolaja in order to fraudulently sell her land to Mr Rotimi Olubeko N5 million.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge
The court fixed date for adoption of written addresses by the parties , but the proceedings could not go on as scheduled.
Bello and others had closed their defence, the lawyer in his defence, told the court that being a lawyer who deal in sale of landed property, asked them for the proof of ownership of the land, and the so called Francisca Awolaja gave her photocopy of C of O of the the land and her international passport as proof.
He said to satisfied his conscience, he went to State Ministry of Lands, to conducted search on the property and, it was confirmed that the documents given to her by the so called Francisca Awolaja were geniue .adding that he advertised the sale of the property in a magazine called ‘Castle ‘.
Bello told the court that after the advert for sale of the property , many people contacted him showing interest but it was only Olubeko that shown commitment.
He said that before the Deed of Assignment was executed, Olubeko ‘ s lawyer Asuquo conducted search on the property, and all the parties held series of meeting in his office at Mushin.
