An Information Technologist, Jules Suinner, who was accused of defrauding Access bank the sum of twenty five million naira, has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
Justice Chuka Obiozor of a Federal High Court, Lagos, had on last Friday, pronounced the convict guilty of all the six counts charge of conspiracy, fraudulent impersonation, being in possession of proceeds of illicit funds and internet fraud, leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In an alocutus plea, the convict’s lawyer, Mr. Simeon Njoku urged the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
Mr Njoku added that he is a first term offender without any record of previous conviction and father of many children, who solely depends on him.
The EFCC lawyer, Ekene Iheanachor, while conceding that the convict is a first time offender to the knowledge of his agency, however, told the court the each offences committed as a prescribe punishment by an amended Act of the EFCC.
But the court can apply its discretion in sentencing the convict.
Sentencing the convict, Justice Obiozor, after citing plethora of authorities held that having carefully considered the plea of leniency and equally noted period the convict spent in detention, maximum fine would not be impose on the convict.
“Consequently, the convict is hereby sentenced to four years in count one without an option of fine and two years each for the other counts, with option of fine.
“Terms of the sentence shall run concurrently and the period spent in detention shall be deduct from the sentencing period, which is, from June 28, 2016 to December 8, 2017.
The court also ordered that the sum of one million naira recovered from the convict shall be refund to the bank in the intern as bond and it shall be finally release to the bank if there is no appeal against the judgement.
EFCC had on Monday, September 5, 2016 first arraigned the convict before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same Court on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence to the tune of Thirty-Seven Million Naira.
He was however rearraigned before Justice Obiozor sometimes in October, 2017, on amended charge of six count of defrauding the bank of twenty five million naira.
According to the EFCC investigation, To perfect the illicit act, the convict and other members of his team said to be at large, were said to hacked the email address and letterhead of a company named Greenview Development Nigeria Limited and used same to write a letter to Access Bank Plc to transfer the said sum to the account of ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society domiciled with United Bank For Africa, UBA.
The money was allegedly transferred on July 14, 2015.
The convict and others now at large, were said to have on July 22, 2015, allegedly wrote a letter to the Bank to transfer of the sum of Twelve Million Naira to the account of one Tee-EM Nigeria Limited domiciled with UBA.
The convict pleaded not guilty to all the charge, which gave way for his trial.
During the trial, the EFCC called three witnesses who includes Victor Adewale, a banker, Adeoti Gabriel, an official of the company used in defrauding the bank and Edith Ephraim, an investigator with the EFCC.
EFCC also tendered several documents admitted as exhibits A to O4. While the convict was sole defence witness.
