The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, has arraigned a Chinese national, Liu Beixiang, on a charge of providing false information to an officer of the commission.
Beixiang appeared before Justice Ayokule Faji of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was arraigned on a one-count charge relating to the alleged offence. He pleaded not guilty when the charge was formally read in court.
According to a statement released by the EFCC via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the incident reportedly took place in December 2024. The defendant, also known as Lao Liu, is accused of knowingly supplying false information to a federal officer while the officer was carrying out official duties — a violation of Section 16(1) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel Babatunde Sonoiki requested that the defendant be remanded and that a trial date be set. Meanwhile, the defence, led by counsel F.A. Dalmeda informed the court that an application for a plea bargain had already been submitted to the EFCC, along with a motion for bail.
“Responding, defence counsel, F.A. Dalmeda, informed the court of an application submitted to the EFCC seeking a plea bargain.”
“We filed an application for a plea bargain and we have also filed a motion for bail, which the EFCC responded to this morning. We need a date for us to report on the plea bargain.”
In response, Justice Faji adjourned the case to June 23, 2025, to allow for a report on the plea bargain process. The judge also ordered that the defendant be held in a correctional facility pending further proceedings.
