Man Gets 48 Years Jail Term For Duping Bank Of N25m
A self-acclaimed Information Technologist, Jules Suinner, who was accused of defrauding a commercial bank of the sum of N25 million, was today, sentenced to a total of 48 years imprisonment, by a Federal High Court, Lagos.
Sentencing the convict today, after listening to the convict’s lawyer, Mr. Simeon Njoku and the EFCC counsel, Ekene Iheanachor on the stake on how the court should sentence him.
In urging the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client, said: “he is a first-term offender without any record of previous conviction and father of many children, who solely depends on him”.
The EFCC lawyer, Ekene, while conceded that the convict is a first time offender to the knowledge of his agency. However, told the court each punishment for the offences committed as prescribed by an amended Act of EFCC and urged the court to use its discretion in sentencing the convict.
Sentencing the convict, Justice Obiozor, after citing a plethora of authorities held: “I have carefully considered the plea of leniency and equally noted period the convict spent in detention.
“The court is enjoined not to impose maximum fine on the first offender. I have considered the punishment on the of the offence.
“Consequently, the convict is hereby sentenced to four years in count one and two each, without an option of fine.
“The convict is sentenced to counts three, four, five and six each with an option of fine.
“Terms of the sentence shall run concurrently and the period spent in detention shall be deducted from the sentencing period, that is, from June 28, 2016, to December 8, 2017, shall be deducted from the sentencing period.
“It also ordered that the sum of N1 million recovered from the convict shall be refunded to the bank in the intern as bond and it shall be finally released to the bank if there is no appeal against the judgement”.
EFCC had on Monday, September 5, 2016, first arraigned the convict before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same Court on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence to the tune of N37 (Thirty-Seven Million Naira).
He was however re-arraigned before Justice Obiozor sometimes in October 2017, on an amended charge of six-count of defrauding the bank of N25 million.
To perfect the illicit act, the convict and other members of his team said to be at large, were said to hacked the email address and letterhead of a company named Greenview Development Nigeria Limited and used same to write a letter to Access Bank Plc to transfer the sum of N25, 000,000 (Twenty Five Million Naira) to the account of ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society domiciled with United Bank For Africa, UBA.
The money was allegedly transferred on July 14, 2015.
