A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, on Tuesday granted bail to the Managing Director/CEO of Golden City Investment Limited, Benjamin Nwaizu, who was detained for alleged faking and manufacturing substandard products.

Nwaizu is being prosecution by the Standard Organizations of Nigeria (SON).

The charges preferred against him include, “Engaging in the manufacturing of tooth brush, hair brush, shoe brush, plastic hangers and packaging of Dorco disposable safety razors; did sell or deliver the said products for consumption to the public without complying with the mandatory industrial standard by the Standard Organization of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence under Section 26(2)(6) of the Standard Organization of Nigeria Act. 2004.

“Wilfully destroying the official seal placed by the Standards Organization of Nigeria's officials ordering you to suspend the production. Storage and sale of products which are substandard and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 3(a) of Miscellaneous Offence Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004).

“Failing to supply the SON with the certificate of analysis of raw materials (shaving stick blades), failing to carry out performance test on your raw materials and finished products, failing to code your products accordingly as part of labelling criteria in line with SON requirement, failing to obtain the relevant standard in the production of your products and failing to ensure that documentation of quality record as established in line with SON regulations and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 31(2) of the Standard Organization of Nigeria Act, 2015.

“Refused to supply SON with certificate of analysis of raw materials, shaving stick blades on each consignment from your suppliers to ascertain its chemical composition and other relative specifications and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 32(1) of Standards Organization of Nigeria Act, 2015.

On Tuesday Justice I.B Gafai granted Nwaizu bail following a motion by his counsel, Mr. Chike Onyali who also asked the court to quash the charges against his client, arguing that a court of coordinate jurisdiction had heard the matter in the past and ruled in favour of Nwaizu.

He maintained that trying his client on the same matter would amount to double jeopardy which according to him, was against the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Federal Government lawyers led by Mr. Joseph Olonfindare had opposed the motion for bail application as well as the motion for quashing matter.

Olonfindare submitted that he had an amended charge against the defendant

In his ruling, Justice Gafai granted the defendant bail with a surety who must be a civil servant who would be on not less than Grade Level 08.

The matter was, however, adjourned to Tuesday May 23^rd 2017 for ruling on the motion for quashing of the charges.

Update news