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Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Igbosere, Lagos, on Friday, July 5, 2019, convicted and sentenced Sunday Evbodaghe, a thief and fraudster to ten years imprisonment for cornering $1million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC arraigned the convict alongside his company, Sunnivik Rivera Nigeria Limited, on Monday, October 24, 2016, on a four-count charge of stealing, forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $1million.
Evbodaghe’s journey to prison began in 2015 when he collected the sum of N229million from the Lagos Free Trade Zone for the purpose of converting same to the United State dollars, which at the time, amounted to $1million at the exchange rate of N200 to $1.
Upon the receipt of the money, Evbodaghe failed to remit the dollar equivalent as agreed, but rather wired it to his company.
Investigation by the EFCC revealed that his company, Sunnivik Rivera Nigeria Limited received a total sum of N229million in two tranches on August 25 and 26, 2016, respectively.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Sunday Evbodaghe and Sunnivik Rivera Nigeria Limited, sometime in 2015 at Lagos, within the judicial division of this honourable court, attempted to obtain the sum of N229,000,000 (Two Hundred and Twenty Nine Million Naira) only from Lagos Free Trade Zone Company by falsely representing that about $1,000,000 (One Million United State Dollars) equivalent had been paid to one Munir Abiodun Alao and Nnamdi, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5(2), 8(b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006.”
Evbodaghe pleaded not guilty to the charge, paving the way for his trial.
While the trial lasted, the prosecution counsel, Kamil Bashir tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence by the court against the convict.
Justice Ipaye in her judgment today, convicted and sentenced Evbodaghe to seven years in prison for obtaining by false pretence and three years for stealing.
The judge also convicted the second defendant, Sunnivik Rivera Limited, ordering that it be wound up and its assets be forfeited to the federal government.