Justice Victoria Nwoye of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha has convicted and sentenced Ikechukwu Obiekwe and Ugo Chukwudi to correctional facility for fraud.
They were arraigned in December 2019 by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 10-count charges bordering on conspiracy, fraudulent conversion, stealing and retention of proceeds of crime to the tune of N39.5 million
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Ikechukwu Obiekwe, between 2016 to 2018 in Onitsha within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to permanently deprive the owner of his money, fraudulently converted to your own use, N18.1 million being money belonging to Rainbow Hair International Company Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 342 of CAP 30, Criminal Code Law of Anambra State and punishable under Section 353 (6) of the same Law. ”
Count three reads: “That you, Ugo Chukwudi between 2016 to 2018 in Onitsha within the jurisdiction of this honourable court transferred N5.3 million to account number 0012766443 domiciled in Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, belonging to Emma Ogonna Obiekwe, a nominee of one Ikechukwu Obiekwe, when you know or reasonably ought to know that the said money was stolen by the said Ikechukwu Obiekwe and therefore formed part of the proceed of crime and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17 (A) of the EFCC Act 2004 and punishable under Section 17 (B) of the same Act.”
In the course of the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, presented six witnesses and tendered several documents in evidence.
Justice Nwoye, in her judgment on July 9, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced both men to one year imprisonment, each, without an option of fine.
In addition, he ordered that N39.5 million being the proceeds of their crime be forfeited by the convicts to their victim. The convicts’ journey to jail began on May 19, 2019, when the victim through a petition to the commission alleged that Obiekwe, who was his apprentice, diverted N39,528,530 million from the company’s sales account, and when confronted he denied and absconded. Upon investigation by the commission, it was discovered that Obiekwe used Chukwudi to divert the said sum to different accounts.
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