Justice Latee Okunnu of the
Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced the Managing Director of
Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Mrs. Ada Ugo-Ngali, to a jail term of 69 years for
a fuel subsidy fraud of N754m.
But the jail term would run
concurrently for 10 years.
Wagbatsona however, is currently detained in the United
Kingdom on charges relating to a £12 million National Health Service (NHS)
Trust fraud. The sentence is the first of its kind since massive oil subsidy
fraud allegedly perpetuated by oil marketers was uncovered in the petroleum
industry in 2012.
The
judge had been unable to pass the sentence on the judgment day as Ugo-Ngali
slumped in court after being convicted and just before the judge could pass the
sentence.
The
convict was subsequently rushed out of the courtroom and taken to Havannah
Hospital in Surelere from where she was later moved to the intensive care unit
of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
Ugo-Ngali
came to court on Thursday straight from LUTH and on a wheel chair, with
plasters on her body.
In her judgment, justice Okunnu sentenced Wagbatsoma and
Ugo-Nnadi to a minimum of 10 years in prison for the six-count charge proffered
against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. “For each
of the counts of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretences the
defendants are sentenced to ten years in prison. For each of the counts of
obtaining money by false pretences, the defendants are sentenced ten years in
prison.
“For the count of conspiracy to commit forgery the defendants
are sentenced to seven years in prison, for the offence of forgery the
defendants are sentenced to eight years in prison,” Okunnu said. The judge
noted that the total sentenced passed was a total of 69 years for each of the
defendants but the sentence was to run concurrently. While passing her judgment
on Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Okunnu said; “I hereby give an order of
restitution to Ontario Oil and Gas Limited.
“The N754 million which was defrauded by the company should
be returned to the Federal Government,” the judge said. The counsel to
Ugo-Ngadi, Mr Y.A Kadiri made an attempt to complain to Justice Okunnu about
the treatment of his client by the EFCC after the sentence was read. “For the
record, the conduct of the prosecution has been unethical.
“The second defendant has been in hospital though her
situation had improved slightly, the prosecution mounted tremendous pressure on
the hospital management to discharge her, “ he said. Okunnu, however, refused
to listen to complaint of the defence.
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