By Chinyere Omeire
Lagos – An Igbosere high court in Lagos on Tuesday sentenced a businessman, Chike Obiakor, to eight years’ imprisonment for defrauding a Chinese businessman, Davis Jin Guoshi, to the tune of $222,633.
Obiakor was arraigned on June 7, 2018, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge of fraud, stealing and issuance of dud cheque.
Justice Sendoten Ogunsanya found Obiakor and his firm, CNC Industries Ltd. guilty of obtaining the sum under false pretences from Guoshi, the Managing Director of a manufacturing firm, Shanghai Sumlo, in 2012.
She sentenced Obiakor to one year imprisonment for stealing, and seven years’ jail term for obtaining money by false pretences, but directed that the sentences should run concurrently.
She also ordered the EFCC to recover the sum from Obiakor and pay it to Guoshi.
Ogunsanya did not convict Obiakor on count three – issuance of a dud cheque – saying that the EFCC could not convince the court that it happened.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obiakor had prayed the court to temper justice with mercy but Ogunsanya disregarded the plea.
The judge held: “I have listened to the attocutus of the defendant’s counsel to temper justice with mercy, that he is a business man with no criminal record.
“It is people like the defendant that have given Nigerian businessmen a bad name and a distasteful reputation internationally such that every genuine Nigerian is viewed as a potential crook.”
The EFCC had on arraignment, said that Obiakor fraudulently obtained 16 containers of Guoshi’s luggages, sold them but did not remit the money to the Chinese.
In his defence, Obiakor claimed that some of the goods were defective and were returned by the customers but the jjudge held that he did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claim.
(NAN)
