A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted and sentenced Dan Abia, a former Special Adviser to the erstwhile Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), George Turnah, and two others: Ebis Orubebe and Uzorgor Silas Chidebere, to six years imprisonment.
They were convicted by Justice A. T. Mohammed for obtaining money under false pretense, money laundering, conversion of funds and forgery contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
In a statement issued Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said they were jailed last Thursday, having been found guilty of charges preferred against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Commission.
The commission noted that the defendants were originally arraigned by the EFCC in May, 2017 and re- arraigned on January 25, 2021 on 23- count charges bordering on obtaining by false pretense, money laundering and abuse of office to the tune of N2, 894, 500, 000.
Though they pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, but the prosecution counsel, I. Agwu, called several witnesses and tendered documents to prove the case against the defendants.
Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced them to two years imprisonment each, starting from the date of their arrest.
The judge ordered the 1st defendant to pay N1 million only as an option of fine while the 2nd and 3rd defendants are to pay N500,000 into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Additionally, the 4th, 6th and 10th defendants are to return the sum N180,000,000.
Other restitutions included: N5 million traced to the 1st convict; N100 million traced to the 6th and 10th convicts; N50 million traced to Optimal Standard. The court said they are to be forfeited to the NDDC.
Others are: N46,8 million; N494,371.86, N13 million; and 23.5 million, to be forfeited to the NDDC by the 9th, 4th , 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.