Okorocha’s Commissioner Jailed For Fraud

A former commissioner for transport in Imo State, Lasbery Okafor-Anyanwu, was on Tuesday sentenced to a three years imprisonment.

Anyanwu, who served under former Governor Rochas Okorocha, was sentenced after he was found guilty of the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Okafor-Anyanwu, from Oru East Local Government Area is the elder brother to Prince Marshall Okafor Anyanwu, who was chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and the current state chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The judge, K. A Lewanya, held that the convict was found guilty of fraud , looting of public funds and stealing.

While sentencing the ex commissioner, the judge said that the jail term would serve concurrently.

The former commissioner was found guilty of diverting N180 million of state funds into a private company account where he was a major shareholder and sole signatory when he superintended and doubled as Commissioner for transport and the Chairman Interim committee of the Imo State Transport Company (ITC), contrary to section 12 and 19 of the ICPC act 2020.

The judge said that Anyanwu by that action had violated the public procurement act, abuse of office and using his office to gain undue advantage in his dealings during his tenure as the commissioner for transport and the Chairman Interim committee of the Imo state transport company ITC.

He said that the EFCC lawyer, Micheal Ani, was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that when Anyanwu was commissioner for transport between 2015 and 2019, he transferred N100 million from the ITC account to his private company named Oma oil industries Limited.

The former commissioner was also found guilty of signing off another N80 million from government coffers directly to his private company account with the motive that he wanted to procure some vehicles for ITC without due process and recourse to the public procurement act.

He was asked to return N180 million found in his account to the state transport firm.