Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday sentenced a former banker, Christopher Jackson Edeh, to a total of 39 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in a N2.7 billion fraud prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Mr Edeh on all nine counts.
What he was accused of
Mr Edeh was arraigned on February 28, 2024, on nine counts bordering on fraudulent accounting and unauthorised access to a computer system.
The charges alleged that he altered the bank account details of several customers and government-related entities, including the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, NNPC Trading Limited, Stallion Vision Ltd, the Lagos State Government Blue Line, the State Contributory Pension Account and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, with intent to defraud.
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Prosecuting counsel, Z.B. Atiku, called three witnesses and tendered several documents as evidence to establish the case against the defendant. The defence called one witness.
The sentence
In her judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine on each of counts one to seven, bordering on fraudulent false accounting, and two years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine on each of counts eight and nine, relating to unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to facilitate the commission of crimes.
However, the court ordered that all the sentences run concurrently.
