A 50-year-old man, Mr Brendan Chima Okpara has been sentenced to 3 months imprisonment by an Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court docket in Wuse, Zone 6 over prices bordering on breach of belief and dishonest.
Okpara, a resident of Open Gates Property, Idu, was convicted on a two-count cost of legal breach of belief and dishonest.
A 49-year-old finance marketing consultant and fellow resident of Open Gates Property, Idu, Maifuwa Aibangbe, accused Okpara of gathering N16,370,000 (roughly $35,500) underneath the pretense of buying two Mercedes Benz E300, 2016 mannequin automobiles.
Aibangbe transferred the cash to Okpara primarily based on their settlement however the convict didn’t ship the autos.
The defendant was arraigned on January 10, 2024, after a number of adjournments, the place he denied committing the alleged offenses.
Trial commenced on the fifteenth January 2024 to allow the prosecution show its case.
Police prosecutor Okokon Udo Mbruk defined that Okpara was arraigned on prices of legal breach of belief and dishonest, opposite to Sections 312, and 322 of the Penal Code Legislation.
Proof and witness testimonies had been introduced throughout the trial, resulting in Okpara’s conviction.
“In April 2021, Chima Brendan Okpara approached the sufferer with a proposal to purchase a Mercedes Benz E300, 2016 mannequin, with connected footage, at a sum of $14,500 plus further restore prices of $1,950 and $1,200 cargo value. Each agreed to an trade price of N460/$1.00. He paid him an preliminary sum of N4,600,000, representing $10,000, and subsequently N2,967,000.
“Subsequently, he provided one other related automotive on Might 1, 2021, and the sufferer credited his similar account with Union Financial institution, Majestic Ideas Union Financial institution Account 0123783463, with further sums of N4,600,000, N2,530,000, N1,173,000, and N500,000, respectively.
“The whole sum transferred to Chima Brendan Okpara’s Union Financial institution Account (Majestic Ideas Account 012378463) quantities to N16,370,000 (Sixteen Million Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira Solely). Please discover connected proof of transfers and footage of the proposed autos,” the prosecution instructed the court docket.
Within the ruling, the Chief Mgistrate, Farida Ibrahim sentenced Okpara to 3 months in jail for the primary rely of legal breach of belief with out an possibility of a high quality.
For the second rely of dishonest, the convict obtained an extra three months with the choice of a N25,000 high quality.
The court docket dominated that Okpara will serve his sentence at both Kuje or Suleja Correctional Middle.
The court docket additionally ordered Okpara to refund the excellent N8.7 million to Aibangbe as restitution, failing which he’ll face an extra ten months in jail.