New Telegraph

Former Navy captain bags 12 years in prison over N45m bank theft

An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a retired Navy Captain, Jerry Ogbonna, to 12 years in prison for stealing the sum of N45 million under false pretence from a new generation bank.

Captain Ogbonna was convicted, alongside his company, Obyke System Consult Limited, after the court found them guilty of stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the convict and his company on April 19, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Dada on a five-count charge.

Justice Dada found the defendant guilty of the offences and sentenced him to three years imprisonment on count one; seven years on count two and two years on count five of the charge, respectively.

The judge also ordered that the company be wound up and pay a fine of N5m, while the convict would make a restitution of N4m to Diamond Bank Plc.

The former naval officer was, however, discharged on count three and four.

Delivering her judgement, Justice Dada said: “I didn’t believe any of the stories the told by the defendant. The issue was not whether the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) was owing in this particular matter. The defendant did withdraw money that was paid to him in error by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“There is no proof of that the defendant has refunded the sum of N45 million to Access/Diamond Bank since the past nine years. Thus, there is a criminal intent shown by the defendant to steal the property of Access Diamond Bank.

“I am satisfied that the prosecutor was able to established count 1, 2 and 5. The defendant is hereby discharged on count 3 and 4.”

However, Captain Ogbonna was previously arraigned and tried before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court in 2016 before the case was struck out after attempts to have him take his plea proved abortive.

The matter was later re-assigned to Justice Dada, who now passed a verdict three years after.

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