A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a former Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Calistus Obi, to seven years imprisonment for N136 million fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on 28th May re-arraigned Calistus Obi before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, for N136 million fraud, and had fixed today June 3, 2019, for his sentencing.
Calistus Obi was on May 23, 2019, convicted along with Alu Dimas, an aide to Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former Director-General of NIMASA. They were arraigned along with two companies, Grand Pact Limited and Global Sea Investment, on April 12, 2016, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, conversion and money laundering to the tune of N136million (One Hundred and Thirty-Six Million Naira).
Justice Olatoregun had found the first defendant guilty of counts five, six, seven and eight. The second defendant was also found guilty of counts two and four.
Consequently, Justice Olatoregun had adjourned the case till May 28, 2019, for counsel to address the court on sentencing.
At the resumed sitting, counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, argued that the defendants wasted the time of the court, so they did not qualify to enjoy the discretion of the court in not imposing the maximum sentence.
He said: “This is a time we must begin to make statements that send a signal to public servants and those entrusted with public funds not to betray the trust imposed on them as the court had found in this case.
“The first and second defendant converted the total sum of N111 million to their personal use, while the first, third, and fourth defendants converted the sum of N114 million to their personal use.
“The court has the power to order them to refund the money and compensate the Agency for the funds already utilised.
“We also urge the court to order the forfeiture to the Federal Government of the sum of N30 million recovered by the EFCC from the first defendant.”