Written by Lanre Adewole, Abuja Thursday, 19 July 2012

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed on Tuesday that it had successfully prosecuted a former manager with the United Bank of Africa (UBA), leading to a Kano High Court sentencing him to 19 years imprisonment.

A statement made available to newsmen by commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren in Abuja read “Justice Dije Aboki of Kano High Court, on July 16, 2012, sentenced Mr Samuel Owoyele, a former manager with the United Bank of African Plc, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to 19 years in prison for fraud.

Owoyele, who was found guilty on all three- count charge preferred against him, is also to pay a total sum of N20 million as restitution.

“Trouble started for Owoyele on December 9, 2009, when as a UBA manager, he collected the sum of twenty-seven million naira (N27m) from one Ashiru Munzali Gambo under false pretence that he had $185,000 (one hundred and eighty five thousand United States Dollars) to sell to him. After repeated visits and appeals, the convict could neither give the promised dollars nor the naira equivalent he collected from the complainant. This necessitated a petition to the EFCC.

“Justice Aboki, in her judgment, observed that the evidence against the convict was convincing; explaining that the prosecution had established that the convict acted knowingly with the intent to defraud the complainant.

The judge said that the convict induced the complainant to part with his money; tore the teller that showed the transaction in an attempt to suppress evidence which she said was an act of desperation by the convict.

via Tribune