Man, 73, Jailed 12 Years For N71m Fraud

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced 73-years-old businessman, Anthony Abomeli, to 12 years imprisonment for his involvement in a N71 million fraud.

Justice Dada sent the convict to jail after she found him guilty of the nine-count charge of issuance of dud cheques, obtaining by false pretence and stealing to the tune of N71 million brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC had accused the convict of defrauding a company, Nepal Oil and Gas Services Limited, of the sum in a business deal that involved the sale of a land in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The anti-graft agency had told the court that it was discovered during investigation that at the time the convict sold the land to the petitioner, the land had been sold to someone else.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, prompting a full-blown trial.

In the course of the trial, the prosecuting counsel, George Akaogu, called three witnesses and tendered 13 exhibits to prove the case against the convict.

While the convict testified on his own behalf, telling the judge that the petitioner had pressured him into issuing the said dud cheques, and further claimed that he told the petitioner to wait for his instruction before presenting them in court.

In her judgement, Justice Dada held that the prosecution successfully proved the allegations against the convict and found him guilty as charged on all the counts.

The judge sentenced him to two years on counts one to seven; seven years on count eight, and three years on count nine.