Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on Thursday December 13, 2012, sentenced one Akinyemi Idowu Jegede to seven years imprisonment.
The convict was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a two-count amended information dated March 1, 2011.
The accused was said to have obtained by false pretence N27, 692,500 contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006.
Jegede, a Chartered Accountant and Managing Director of Trans-Atlantic Global Oil, was arraigned on September 10, 2007, on allegation that he fraudulently obtained money from his victims in a dubious forex transaction.
His arrest and prosecution was sequel to two petitions dated September 18 and 20, 2006 by Amfidel International Limited and Sunny Ositez International Limited respectively, where they alleged that one Mr. Ifeanacho Egbuna, whilst being the Branch Manager of Fidelity Bank Plc, Enu-Owa Branch, Lagos Island, Lagos State, collected various sums of money from them with a promise that the dollar equivalent will be transferred to the account of their overseas suppliers.
To finalize the transaction, the petitioners issued draft for N13, 570,000.00 and N14, 122,500.00 respectively in the name of Trans-Atlantic Global Oil Services Limited, a company wholly owned and operated by the accused person.
In the course of interrogation, the accused volunteered, in his statement, admitted that he collected N27, 692,500 from the said Ifeanacho Egbuna and that he could not transfer the said sums as agreed because he had some problems with his petroleum business.
On December 13, 2012, counsel to EFCC, Francis Usani, urged the court to convict the accused person on the strength of the testimonies of seven witnesses and the 23 exhibits tendered during trial.
But counsel to accused person, E.D. Onyeke, prayed the court to discharge and acquit his client of the charges preferred against him.
Justice Okunnu, in her ruling, convicted and sentenced the accused to seven years imprisonment.
She also ordered the convict to pay restitution to the victims.
