A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ajah has sentenced a 45-year-old businessman, Chukwudi Goodness, to 74 years imprisonment for stealing N360 million and issuing 31 dud cheques.
Justice Josephine Oyefeso, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday, June 10, found the convict guilty on 32 of the 33-count charge filed against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC had arraigned Goodness in June 2016 for offences bordering on stealing and issuance of dishonoured cheques, all linked to a business transaction with a man identified as Mr. Henry Nnadike, who lost a whopping N360 million to the fraudulent scheme.
According to a statement by the anti-graft agency on Tuesday, the offences were committed between June and July 2015 at Ikeja, Lagos.
One of the charges read: “That you, Chukwudi Okonkwo Goodness, sometime between the months of June and July, 2015 at Ikeja, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, fraudulently converted and stole the sum of N360,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Sixty Million Naira), property of one Henry Nnadike, and committed an offence of stealing by conversion contrary to Sections 278 and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
Goodness had pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for a prolonged trial that saw four witnesses testify for the EFCC.
The prosecution, led by T.J. Banjo, also tendered several documentary exhibits in court to establish the defendant’s culpability.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Oyefeso ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, finding Goodness guilty on all charges except one; count two, which alleged possession of documents containing false pretence. He was discharged and acquitted on that count.
She subsequently sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on count one (stealing), and two years each on counts three to thirty-two for issuing dud cheques. For count 33; another charge of stealing, the court handed him another seven-year term.
All sentences are to run concurrently, meaning the convict will spend a maximum of seven years in prison.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered Goodness to restitute N215 million to the victim within 30 days of the judgment, warning that any consideration for a fine will depend on compliance with the restitution order.
