A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced an oil marketer, Epebinu Omoniyi, his company, Pure Pack Oil Nigeria Ltd, as well as Adekanbi Adedayo and his company, First Hallmark Energy Ltd to seven years improvement.
The two marketers were arraigned before Justice Sodetan Ogunsanya, and found guilty of eight count charge.
They were first arraigned alongside their companies on 16th of October, 2017 on the eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to commit felony and forgery.
They pleaded “not guilty’ of the charges.
In the course of the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Samuel Owede, presented four witnesses and tendered 12 Exhibit to prove the case of the prosecution against the defendants.
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Delivering judgement, Justice Ogunsanya discharged and acquitted them on count six and held that the prosecution proved the other counts against them beyond reasonable doubt.
The trial judge thereafter found them guilty as charged and sentenced Epebinu Omoniyi and Adekanbi Adedayo to seven years on counts one and two, and three years on counts three, four, five, seven and eight.
The companies were also each fined N100,000 having been found guilty of counts one and two. The sentences are to run concurrently
According to the charge: “Epebinu Omoniyi, Adekanbi Adedayo, First Hallmark Energy Ltd, Pure Pack Oil Limited, Titus Adegoke (at large) and Demola Omisore (at large) on or about the 8th day of December 2014 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) from Ayo Faleti under the false representation that you have secured a contract from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to supply crude oil from Nigeria to the United States of America and that the sum represented one percent contract performance bond payment, which representation you knew to be false.
“Epebinu Omoniyi, Adekanbi Adedayo, First Hallmark Energy Ltd, Pure Pack Oil Limited, Titus Adegoke (at large) and Demola Omisore (at large) on or about the 22nd October 2014 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud Ayo Faleti, forged a document titled: To whom it may concern, Letter of authority to sell Bonny Light Crude and to represent the NNPC/Shell JV Operators Bonny Terminal issued in favour of Pure Pack Oil Nigeria Limited dated 22nd October 2014 purporting same to be issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).”
