Anambra Businessman Chukwuemeka Ekwunife has been sentenced to 60 years of imprisonment by Justice Sherifat Solebo from the Special Offences Court in the Ikeja, Lagos.
Ekwunife was charged with fraud worth N184,098,000.
Emeka Okeogwu, the prosecutor of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on February 19, 2018, indicted Ekwunife alongside his company upon an amended eight counts adjoining on stealing by fraudulent conversion, which is contrary to sections 278(1)(b), (2)(f) and 285(1) of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.
The charge in part read that Chukwuemeka Ekwunife and Structured Energy Limited, on or around June 4, 15 in Lagos, in the Lagos Judicial Division, dishonestly transformed to your own use the amount of N85,000,000 paid to you by M.R.S. Oil and Gas Company Ltd, property of Nepal Oil and Gas Ltd.
The defendant argues not guilty to all the charges, stimulating the initiation of his trial.
During the trial, Okeogwu called for six witnesses and tendered many documentary pieces of evidence to prove the prosecution’s case.
The defendant further took to the dock to attest to his defence while refusing the charges that had been levied against him.
Justice Solebo discovered the defendant guilty on counts of one to six and sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.
She ordered his company to wound up and go as per the allocation of the defence, and he was given the option of a fine of N50 million.
Justice Solebo stated that it is evident that several fraudulent activities are being carried out by some people who are very greedy and use the use of guise of oil subsidy on the imported fuel to defraud the nation and furthermore degrading the image of Nigeria in other countries. The loss and gains will stay where they are.”
