Lawyers Bag Jail Term For N24m Fraud

The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has sentenced two lawyers, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo to 2 years imprisonment.

The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had arraigned the convicts sometime in October 2018 on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing to the tune of N24m.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, between 13th October, 2016 and 13th November, 2016 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N24 Million (Twenty-four Million Naira) from Olawale Oyetunde, under the pretence that the money was part-payment for the purchase of property at 21, Adegbenle Street, Chevy View Estate, off Chevron Drive, Lekki Lagos which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006.”

The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against them, thereby leading to their full trial.

The prosecution counsel, Spiff Owede, had called five witnesses and tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence by the court.

Delivering her judgement, Justice Taiwo found the defendants guilty of the offence and sentenced them to two years imprisonment each, with an option of fine of One Million Naira.