Businesswoman, Oluremi Phillips Jailed 17 Years, Ordered To Refund N57.6m

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

It was double jeopardy for a business woman, Oluremi Ebun Philips, as a Court in Lagos State sentenced her to 17 years imprisonment, ordered her company to be shut and made to refund N57.6m to the owner as restitution. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that it was the judgment of the presiding judge, Justice I.O. Ijelu, of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, who convicted and sentenced Oluremi Phillips for fraud to the tune of N57,690,000.

The convict, Ms Philips, was previously standing trial before Justice S.O. Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, following her arraignment on 27th January, 2022. However, the trial could not be concluded before the retirement of Justice Solebo in November 2022, a development that resulted in the re-assigning of the case file to Justice Ijelu.

She was on May 22, 2023 re-arraigned before Justice Ijelu alongside her company, Omritas Energy Limited, on a five-count charge bordering on stealing and issuance of dud cheques to the tune of N57,690,000.

Count one read: “Oluremi Ebun Philips and Omritas Energy Limited, sometime in 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently converted and stole the sum of N57, 690,000.00, property of AYM Shafa Limited meant for the supply of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) which you failed to supply.”

Count two: “Oluremi Ebun Philips and Omritas Energy Limited, on or about the 10th of April 2017 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly issued a Diamond Bank cheque for the sum of N14,298,075.00 payable to AYM Shafa Limited, which when presented for payment was dishonoured on the grounds that no sufficient funds were standing to the credit of the account.”

The defendant again, pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts preferred against her.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, T.J. Banjo, called three witnesses through whom several documentary evidence were presented in Court to prove the case against them.

The defence also presented three witnesses during the trial.

Delivering judgment, Justice Ijelu held that the prosecution proved the case against the defendants beyond every reasonable doubt and convicted them on counts one to five.

The judge thereafter, sentenced the first defendant to nine years imprisonment on count one, with an option of fine of N2million to be paid within 90 days, and two years each on counts two to five. The sentences are to run concurrently.

The second defendant was fined N250,000 on count one, and N100,000 each on counts two to five. The Court further ordered the restitution of N57,690,000 to be paid to the victim within 90 days. The company was also ordered to be wound up within 90 days, if it fails to fulfil the restitution.

The convicts bagged their imprisonment when they fraudulently converted and stole the sum of N57, 690,000.00, property of AYM Shafa Limited meant for the supply of Automotive Gas Oil, Ago. They neither supplied the products nor returned the money to the victim.