Court Jails Couple 14 Years For N67.6m Fraud

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has convicted and sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and his wife, Oluwakemi Odia, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years imprisonment each, over fraud of N67,659,592.

Justice Dada also ordered a full restitution of the said sum to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.

The convicted couple were sentenced on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.

They were discharged on the fourth count charge bordering on forgery.

At their arraignment, they pleaded not guilty, and the prosecution counsel, Fadeke Giwa, commenced trial.

She called three witnesses and tendered several documents while the convicts called only one witness.

Delivering judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and found the couple guilty.

On count one, Justice Dada convicted and sentenced them to three years imprisonment, on count two, stealing, to one year, on count three, obtaining money by false pretence, to 10 years without an option of fine, while they were discharged on count four, forgery.

The judge also ordered that the first defendant’s sentence be suspended until apprehended.

One of the counts reads: “Kemi Odia and Harry Uyanwanne (a.k.a Ben Ololorma) sometime in 2010 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court by false pretence and intent to defraud sold the property known as No 19 Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo Lagos to one Harry Dyawanne for the sum of Sixteen Million Naira (N16,000,000.00) on the false pretence representation that you were authorized to sell the property by the Bonafide Beneficiaries of the Estate of Late Dr Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa which representation you knew was false.”

Another charge read that the convicted couple “with false intent to defraud, sold the property known as Plot 19, Muritala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo Lagos to one Harry Uyanwanne (the convict) for the sum of Sixteen Million Naira on the false presentation that the first defendant was authorised to sell the property by the bonafide beneficiaries of the Estate of late Dr. Moshood Odemuyiwa, which representation he knew was false.”

The prosecution had alleged that the convicted couple sometime in 2010, conspired and dishonestly stole the property of beneficiaries of the Estate of late Dr. Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.