From the CourtPilot Law

Man, 30, jailed 20 years for defrauding Taiwanese

A 30-year-old fraudster, Gabriel Oluokun, was on Thursday, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State for defrauding a Taiwanese to the tune of $22,300.

The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a six-count amended of obtaining money by false pretence.

According to the Commission, 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 installments 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 of obtaining money by false pretences to which he pleaded not guilty.

He was re-arraigned on June 15, 2020, on six amended counts 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 Abdumalik convicted the defendant on counts one to four.

The offences 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 from 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 failed to refund the money.

He also forfeited his Toyota Corolla to the Federal government.

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