Ex-Finbank MD, Nwosu, Three Others
Justice Lateefa A. Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in
Ikeja, on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, convicted and sentenced Okey Nwosu,
a former Managing Director, Finbank Plc, to three years imprisonment for
over 10m fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had arraigned Nwosu
alongside Dayo Famuroti, Agnes Ebubedike and Danjuma Ocholi on a
26-count amended charge bordering on stealing and illegal conversion to
the tune of N10,934,704,402.
The defendants, who perpetrated the fraud while they were directors of
the bank, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them,
thereby leading to their full trial.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs ,
SAN, called witnesses and also tendered several documents that were
admitted in evidence against the defendants.
Delivering her judgment, the Judge found the defendants guilty and
sentenced the first and second defendants, Nwosu and Famoroti, to three
years imprisonment each.
The Judge also sentenced the third defendant, Ocholi, to 12 months
imprisonment and slammed a six- month community service on the fourth
defendant, Ebubedike.
The case had, suffered a setback as the defendants challenged the
jurisdiction of the trial court up to the Supreme Court. While the court
maintained its jurisdiction to try the defendants, Nwosu approached the
Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal which in November 2013 struck out
the charge against the banker.
The appellate court ruled that the Lagos High Court lacked jurisdiction
to entertain the charges because they emanated from capital market
transactions, which should be handled by the Federal High Court.
Following the appeal court ruling, Dayo Famoroti, Danjuma Ocholi and
Agnes Ebubedike approached the Lagos High Court to dismiss the charges
preferred against them.
But Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, counsel to EFCC had prayed the court to adjourn
the matter indefinitely pending the determination of its appeal at the
Supreme Court
Justice Okunnu upheld the prayers of Jacobs and adjourned the matter
sine die to allow the Supreme Court rule on the matter.
The Supreme Court, in its judgment, upheld EFCC’s appeal. In a unanimous
judgment, a seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court faulted the
argument of the Court of Appeal that the decision by the EFCC to charge
Nwosu and the other directors for stealing before the Lagos High Court,
while it maintained a charge of money laundering against them, would
amount to double jeopardy.
The Supreme Court directed Nwosu and co- defendants to submit themselves
for trial before the Lagos High Court.