Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the
Federal Capital Territory sitting in Gudu, Abuja, on Friday, April 7, 2017
convicted and sentenced Jubril Rowaye, an oil marketer, to a hundred and four
years imprisonment over N1.05billion subsidy fraud charge preferred against him
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In the landmark judgment that lasted about five and half
hours, Rowaye was convicted along with his company, Brilla Energy Limited, and
another firm, Alminnur Resources Limited, to which the permit to import
10,000metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) into Nigeria was issued in
2011.
Rowaye and Brilla Energy Limited were arraigned alongside
Saminu Rabiu and his company, Alminnur Resources Limited, on October 17, 2012
on a 17-count charge of conspiracy and fraud.
However, the charge was amended following the death of Rabiu,
who died on October 7, 2014 after the prosecution had closed its case with 12
witnesses, in order to delete his name as a defendant in the suit.
The other three (Rowaye, Brilla and Alminnur) were
subsequently re-arraigned on February 12, 2016.
After diligent prosecution of the case by counsel to EFCC,
Sylvanus Tahir, Justice Banjoko convicted and sentenced Rowaye on 14 out of 17
counts preferred against him by EFCC.
On Counts 1 and 2, Rowaye and the two oil companies (Brilla
and Alminnur) were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each without option of
fine.
Additionally, on count 2, which bordered on how the convicts
fraudulently obtained over N1.05billion from the Petroleum Support Fund as
payment for importation of 10,000 tonnes of PMS, the judge ordered the convicts
to pay by way of restitution the sum equivalent to the loss sustained by the
victim, which is the federal government.
On Counts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17,
the three defendants were sentenced to 7 years imprisonment with option of fine
of N5million each.
The court, however, discharged Rowaye, Alminnur and
Brilla on counts 12, 13 and 14.
“The sentences
are to run concurrently, while the penalty sentencing are to run consecutively”,
said Justice Banjoko.
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