A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has sentenced Gabriel Oluokun, a 30-year-old fraudster, to 20 years imprisonment.
Oluokun was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for defrauding a Taiwanese to the tune of $22,300.
The convict was tried on six-count amended charge of obtaining money by false pretence for which he was found guilty and convicted.
The EFCC said Oluokun received a petition from one Nduka Lucious in which he alleged that the convict collected the sum of $22,300 from him in three instalments on the agreement that he would supply 100 metric tonnes of sesame seed to one Victoria Xhung, a China-based Taiwanese businesswoman, whom the petitioner represents in Nigeria.
The convict failed to deliver the product as promised. Instead of returning the money, he converted the sum to his personal use.
He was arraigned on April 6, 2018 on a six-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences to which he pleaded not guilty.
He was returned to court on June 15, 2020 on a six-count amended charge for the same offence, for which he was convicted on Thursday.
After reviewing the arguments of the prosecution team of Dr. Ben Ubi, Oluwatinuwe Daramola and Mabas Mabur and that of the defence team, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik convicted the defendant on counts one to four of the charges.
The offence contravene Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006. He was, therefore, sentenced to five years imprisonment on each of the four counts.
The jail terms are to run concurrently but he was discharged and acquitted on counts five and six.
Aside the prison term, the convict is to restitute his victim the sum of $22,300 with the caveat that the jail term would be extended by additional two years if he fails to pay the refund.
He also forfeited his Toyota Corolla saloon car to the Federal government.
