Former Pompey star faces fraud charges

A former Pompey player has appeared in court accused of carrying out a charity fraud.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Dec 2016, 19:09 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2016, 13:53 BST
Former Pompey player Sam Sodje arrives at the Old BaileyFormer Pompey player Sam Sodje arrives at the Old Bailey
Former Pompey player Sam Sodje arrives at the Old Bailey

Nigerian international Sam Sodje denied a charge of fraudulent trading involving the Sodje Sports Foundation when he appeared at the Old Bailey.

He is jointly charged with his elder brothers Efe Sodje, also an ex-Nigerian international, Bright Sodje and Stephen Sodje, who also pleaded not guilty to the offence, alleged to have been carried out between 2008 and 2014.

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Sam Sodje, who played nine games for Pompey in 2013, is also charged with five further counts of money laundering, which he denied.

On one of the five, he was jointly charged with Efe and two other men, Emmanuel Ehikhamen and Andrew Oruma.

Ehikhamen, of Belvedere, near Erith in south-east London, is charged with 11 further money laundering offences, and Oruma, of Bexley, south east London, with one further money laundering offence.

They deny all the charges against them, which are alleged to have taken place in November and December 2013.

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Sam Sodje, 37, of Dartford, Kent; Efe, 44, of Cheadle, Greater Manchester; Stephen, 42, of Bexley; and Bright, 50, of Sale, Greater Manchester, are due to stand trial in July.

All six were released on bail.