A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Gabriel Adekola Oluokun to 20 years imprisonment for defrauding a Taiwanese of $22,300.
Dele Oyewale, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) spokesperson disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Commission on April 6, 2018, filed a six-count amended charge of obtaining money by false pretence following a petition from one Nduka Lucious.
Lucious alleged in the petition 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 seeds to one Victoria Xhung, a China-based Taiwanese businesswoman, whom the petitioner represents in Nigeria.
The statement read that Oluokun converted the money to his personal use and failed to deliver the goods as agreed.
Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, after reviewing arguments by the prosecution and defence counsel found Oluokun guilty of four of the charges.
Abdulmalik discharged the convict of count five and six of the charges and sentenced him to five years jail term for each of the remaining four charges.
The judge further ruled that the convict is to return the sum of $22,300 to the Taiwanese victim with the caveat that the jail term will be extended by additional two years if he fails to make the repayment.
The statement further read that Abdulmalik ruled that a Toyota Corolla saloon car belonging to Oluokun is to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94