Lagos Court Jails Couple 14 Years Each For N67.6m Estate Fraud, Orders Full Refund

Daud Olatunji

A Lagos State Special Offences Court has sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years’ imprisonment each over a N67.66m fraud involving a property belonging to the beneficiaries of the estate of late Dr Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa.

The court also ordered the convicts to refund the entire N67,659,592 to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa, following their conviction for conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.

Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the judgment on Monday at the court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had established the offences against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

However, the judge discharged the couple on a separate count bordering on forgery.

The prosecution, instituted by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, centred on the alleged unlawful sale of a property at No. 19, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos, which belonged to beneficiaries of the estate of the late Odemuyiwa.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants sold the property in 2010 for N16m without obtaining authorisation from the rightful beneficiaries of the deceased’s estate.

According to one of the charges, the defendants falsely represented that they had been authorised by the beneficiaries to dispose of the property.

The charge stated that Odia and Uyanwanne, also known as Ben Ololorma, allegedly conspired to sell the property to a buyer, Harry Dyawanne, for N16m, despite knowing that their claim of authorisation was false.

The EFCC accused the defendants of conspiring to dishonestly appropriate the estate property, contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The couple had pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned, leading to a full trial.

During the proceedings, prosecution counsel, Fadeke Giwa, called three witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits in support of the allegations.

The defence, on its part, called one witness.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently convicted the defendants on three of the four counts.

The judge sentenced each defendant to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, one year for stealing and 10 years for obtaining money by false pretence.

The sentences, which carry no option of fine, amount to 14 years’ imprisonment for each convict.

However, the court ordered that the first defendant’s sentence should be suspended until he is apprehended.

The judge also directed the convicts to make full restitution of N67,659,592 to Olusola Odemuyiwa, the petitioner in the case.

Although the court found the couple guilty of conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence, it discharged them on the fourth count relating to forgery.

.....