2 oil marketers get 8 years jail term each over alleged N789.6 million fraud
- George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah each got eight years imprisonment over N789.6 million fraud
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the jail term for the two while a third accused was discharged and acquitted
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, January 26, 2018, secured the conviction and sentencing of two oil marketers, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah, owners of Rocky Energy Limited.
They were sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the court presided over by Justice Latifat Okunnu after they were found guilty of a 26-count amended charge of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and forgery.
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The EFCC said the duo, alongside one Adamu Maula, owner of Downstream Energy Sources Limited, had been re-arraigned on April 1, 2014 on an amended 26-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, uttering and use of false documents to the tune of N789.6 million fraud.
"They had claimed to have imported 10, 862 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for which they were paid the sum of money by the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF)," the anti-graft agency said.
It said investigation into the scandal showed that the defendants had made the claim using forged documents.
Legit.ng learnt that counsels to the defendants, in separate no-case submissions, had urged the court to dismiss the charge against their clients for lack of merit.
"However, in the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, had presented 11 witnesses, including Abdulrasheed Bawa, an investigator with the EFCC, who all gave evidence in the case," it was learnt.
Justice Okunnu delivered her judgement and sentenced Ogbonna and Morah to eight years imprisonment each.
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The judge further ordered the convicts to return the money they fraudulently collected to the federal government.
The court discharged and acquitted Maula and his company, Downstream Energy Sources Limited.
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Source: Legit.ng
