A’Court Upholds Conviction of Oil Marketers to 8 Years imprisonment over N789m Subsidy case

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Thursday October 25 posted remarkable legal victory as the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of the Lagos State High Court which on January 26, 2018, convicted and sentenced two oil marketers, Emmanuel Morah and George Ogbonna, owners of Rocky Energy Limited, to eight years imprisonment. They were convicted by Justice Lateefa Okunnu on a 26-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and forgery to the tune of N789.6million.

The judge also ordered the convicts to return the money which they fraudulently collected as subsidy to the Nigerian Government.

However, dissatisfied with the judgment the defendants approached the Court  of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the lower court. Ruling on the appeal on Thursday October 25, Justice J. Shagbaore Ikyegh who led a panel of three justices, upheld the judgment of the Lagos State High Court and further ordered Rocky Energy Limited to remit the sum of N789,648,329.25 to the Nigerian government.

The convicts purportedly imported 10, 862 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, for which they were paid the sum of money by the Petroleum Support Fund, PSF.

However, investigation revealed that the documents used by the defendants were forged.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media and Publicity