Three men charged with fraud involving bank drafts for millions of dollars were remanded in custody for a week yesterday by Dublin District Court. All three gave their address as The Glade, Hunter's Run, Clonee, Co Meath.
Mr Raymond Folks (38), known to his business associates as Mr Scott and with another address at Dunstan Road, London, was arrested on Wednesday in College Street, Dublin, the court was told.
His companions, Mr Christian Obumneme (42) and Mr Thomas Anthony O'Brien (60), were also arrested on Wednesday in Fitzwilliam Square.
They were charged by Det Garda Mick Prendergast and Det Garda Ronan Galligan of the Garda fraud unit with the possession of two bank drafts, one for $40 million and the other for $15 million, with the purpose of obtaining money under false pretences.
The drafts were said to have been drawn on the Bank of Ireland and named Chase Manhattan Bank, the court was told.
Mr Achiko Okigbo, with the same Irish address as the other three defendants, had two sets of identity papers, Det Garda Pat Leneghan told the court. He was charged with committing an offence under the Road Traffic Acts and was also remanded without bail for a week.
The court was told that Mr Folks, Mr Obumneme and Mr O'Brien sought to entice foreigners to invest in Worldwide Clearing & Finance Ireland (Dublin) Ltd, with a trading address in Baggot Street, under false pretences.
The gardai objected to bail on the grounds that the defendants' true identity had to be confirmed. Mr Obumneme had two South African passports, which Det Garda Galligan claimed had pictures of two different men.
This was disputed by Mr Gaffney, the defendant's solicitor.
In the case of Mr O'Brien, who claimed to have been living in Britain for many years, Mr Gaffney undertook to produce his Irish birth certificate.
Judge William Hamill remanded the defendants pending investigation of Department of Social Welfare and Department of Justice documentation.
An application for free legal aid was denied at this stage.