Grenfell Tower Fire: Three Men Charged With Fraud

Fraud by false representation.
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Three men have been charged with fraud offences in connection with the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Abolaji Onafuye, 54, of Gorleston Street, West Kensington, Koffi Kouakou, also 54, of Elizabeth Court, south west London, and Abdelkarim Rekaya, 28, of Lots Road, Chelsea, are due before magistrates on Friday charged with fraud by false representation.

A fourth man – Yonatan Eyob, 25, of no fixed abode – is also due in court charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession of criminal property and failing to supply a PIN code of a mobile phone.

Five other people – four men and a woman – who were arrested on Thursday as part of the investigation have been released on bail.

In May two other people pleaded guilty to fraud relating to the disaster, after claiming tens of thousands of pounds in financial support.

Elaine Douglas, 51, and Tommy Brooks, 52, both of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday to two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of seeking leave to remain in UK via deception.

Following the fire on June 14, which led to the deaths of 72 people, Douglas and Brooks came forward and claimed they lived on the 19th floor of the 24-storey tower.

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