Three men, Obaro James Omemi, Ehizojie Slyvanus Omokhuale and Eghosa Atekha Osunde, have been sentenced to one-year jail term each by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos for an offence bordering on transfer of criminal proceeds to a nominee to the tune of $215,084.75.
The convicts alongside a company, Seaonus Global Logistics Limited, were first arraigned on November 14, 2019, on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of $348,277.75 and N817,345,302.00.
The defendants initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, but they were, however, re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, February 3, on an amended one- count charge of transfer of criminal proceeds to a nominee to the tune of $215,084.75, after they changed their plea of “not guilty” to “guilty”.
The charge reads, “That you, Obaro James Omemi, Ehizojie Slyvanus Omokhuale, Eghosa Osunde, between 1st of January 2017 and 27th day of July, 2019 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, retained in your control the aggregate of $215,084.75 in your Guaranty Trust Bank account, which you knew to be proceeds of various internet and cyber crimes.”
During the proceedings, counsel to the prosecution, S.O. Daji, filed a review of the facts and pleaded with court to sentence the defendants according to the terms of the plea bargain filed on November 27, 2019, which included that the second defendant would return the sum of N30 million within six months of release from custody, while also reporting to the EFCC every month.
In her judgment, Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced the defendants to one year in prison each, with an option of fine to the tune of N350,000.00.
Justice Taiwo also ordered that Toyota Prado with registration number EKY-169-EZ; Toyota Highlander with registration number EKY-678-ET; Mercedes Bens C300 with registration number EKY-680-EW; Toyota Camry, registered with AKD-228-EA; one Apple Macbook Pro Laptop, one iPhone X, one iPhone 6 and the sum of N10,000,000 draft raised in favour of the EFCC recovered from the defendants be forfeited to the Federal Government to restitute the victim, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.
