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Lukman Olabiyi
The Federal High Court, Lagos yesterday sentenced convicted former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) acting Director-General, Calistus Obi, to seven years imprisonment.
Also sentenced to 21 years imprisonment is Alu Dismas, an aide to another DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
In sentencing Obi and Dismas, Justice Olatoregun declared that the sentence is to run concurrently.
Olatoregun further held that Obi has the opportunity of settling for a fine of N42million, while the Dismas has the opportunity of settling for a fine of N21 million.
The judge equally imposed a fine of N10million on the third and forth defendants, Grand Pact Ltd and Global Seal Investment Ltd., in the criminal charge.
Olatoregun insisted that even though the convicts were highly placed public officials, they failed in upholding the high expectations imposed on them.
Olatoregun had on May 23 found them guilty of money laundering and converting the agency’s funds to personal use.
The court refused to order the forfeiture of Obi’s seized assets.
Obi was charged with N136 million fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Obi and others were arraigned before the court on charges of conspiracy, fraud, unlawful conversion and theft of N136 million belonging to NIMASA.
They were accused of committing the offences between January 6, 2014 and May 30, 2015, in Lagos.
The offences, according to the prosecution, are punishable under Sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibitions (Amendment) Act, 2012
The convicts had pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were first arraigned before the court on April 12, 2016, and equally admitted to bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties each, in like sum.
During their trial, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, called eight witnesses and tendered several documents, which were admitted as exhibits.
At the end of the prosecution’s case on January 31, 2017, the convicts failed to open their defence but filed a no-case submission, which was dismissed by the court on February 21, 2017, and they were ordered to open their defence.
While delivering judgment earlier, Olatoregun discharged and acquitted Obi and Adoo of the charges of conspiracy, saying that the prosecution failed to establish the offence against them.
Olatoregun, however, held that the prosecution through its witnesses’ overwhelming evidence established the offence of unlawful conversion against Obi and Adoo. The judge also held that the prosecution succeeded in establishing the offence of aiding against Obi and his companies.
Consequently, Olatoregun convicted Obi of counts two to eight, while Adoo was convicted of counts two, three and four.
The judge also convicted Obi’s companies of aiding and abetting.
