Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, December 13, sentenced one Jules Suinner to 10 years imprisonment for N37m fraud.
Justice Obiozor had, on Friday, December 6, 2019, convicted Suinner, but deferred sentencing to today.
The convict was arraigned in September 2016 on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and money laundering to the tune of N37m (thirty-seven million naira).
Suinner, together with his accomplice, hijacked the email address and letterhead of a company, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, and used same to write a letter to Access Bank Plc to transfer the sum of N25m (twenty-five million naira) to the account of ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society domiciled with United Bank for Africa, UBA.
Investigations showed that the money, which was transferred on July 14, 2015, had been fully withdrawn from the account by July 18, 2016.
The convict, on July 22, 2015, also wrote to Access Bank Plc to transfer the sum of N12, 000,000 (twelve million naira) to the account of one Tee-EM Nigeria Limited domiciled with UBA.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Jules Suinner, on or about the13th day of July 2015, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to obtain money under false pretence, conspired with ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society (still at large) and others (still at large) to fraudulently impersonate officials of Greenview Development Nigeria Limited.”
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him, thereby leading to his full trial.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, called three witnesses namely Victor Adewale, Adeoti Francis, and Okara Godwin, and also tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence.
Justice Obiozor, while delivering his judgment, held that the prosecution had adequate evidence linking the defendant to the offences as contained in the charge and that it had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.
Consequently, Justice Obiozor found the defendant guilty on all counts and sentenced him to four years imprisonment on counts one and two without an option of fine and 10 years on counts three, four, five and six without an option of fine.
The sentences run are to start from the date of judgment.
The judge further directed that the period the convict had spent in detention from June 29, 2016, and December 8, 2017, be deducted from the jail term.
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