A Lagos high court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced Mohammed Gobir, a former director of Afromedia Plc, to seven years in prison for a multi-million naira and foreign currency fraud.
Gobir was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) in September 2015 at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos,
following an investigation into what officials described as one of the most
elaborate frauds in Nigeria’s corporate sector.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, Raliat Adebiyi, the
presiding judge, found Gobir guilty on all 17 counts filed against him by the
EFCC.
The charges bordered on stealing, obtaining money by false
pretence, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The petition said Gobir falsely claimed he would invest N1
billion in Afromedia but instead syphoned large sums, including $3.5 million,
N514.4 million, $2.1 million, and £51,000.
In one instance, Gobir claimed he needed $250,000 to secure
a waiver certificate for the release of $250 million allegedly frozen by
anti-money laundering officials in the United Kingdom (UK)—which was dismissed
by the court as fictitious.
Gobir had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
However, Adebiyi noted that the scheme is a “grave breach of
trust” and “a betrayal of fiduciary duty”.
The judge, who ordered the convict to pay restitution of $1
million and N123 million for the convictions, said his sentences are to run
concurrently.
Reacting to the judgement, the EFCC described the verdict as
a “watershed moment” in the fight against economic crimes and a clear message
that no individual is above the law.
Gobir is to serve his sentence in a Nigerian correctional
facility.
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