Court Jails Popular Nigerian Film Producer Seven Years For Fraud (PHOTO)

Court Jails Popular Nigerian Film Producer Seven Years For Fraud (PHOTO)

A Federal High Court, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced filmmaker and producer, Olajide Kareem (popularly called Seun Egbegbe) to seven years imprisonment ‘with hard labour’ for multi-millionaire fraud.

The trial judge, Oluremi Oguntoyinbo convicted him on one count (count 19), out of the 44-count charge filed against him by the police.

The court, however, freed Kareem because he had overstayed in prison while awaiting trial (judgment) since his trial commenced on February 10, 2017.

While delivering judgment, Justice Oguntoyinbo also freed four other defendants, declaring that 43 of the 44 counts crumbled because of a lack of witnesses to substantiate their claims.

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The judge held that the prosecuting team failed to produce evidence, to back witnesses on counts 4, 19 and 21.

Justice Oguntoyinbo further said that police tampered with the money recovered from the suspects and ruled that all the money recovered from Egbegbe as evidence should be returned to him.

“Having considered the entirety of the circumstances and taking judicial notice of the allocators, I hereby sentence the first defendant (Kareem) to seven years imprisonment with hard labour, only in respect of count 19 of the amended charge.

“The term is to begin from the very date the first defendant was detained in police custody and/or remanded in prison, whichever comes first. This is to send a clear message to all and sundry, the young and as well as the old, the unknown and the famous that, regardless of the number of days a crime goes unpunished, the law would definitely take its course in due course.

“Most importantly, the prosecution witnesses’ contradictory testimonies have failed to satisfy the exact sums of money contained in the majority of the unviable and unsupported counts of charges filed against the 1st Defendant.

“From the avalanche of evidence before this Honourable Court, it is crystal clear the Nigeria Police tampered with the various sums of money collected from the 1st & 2nd defendants. The serial number of various sums of money was not recorded by the exhibit keeper nor were they tendered before this court.

“The Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Police State Criminal Investigation & Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba and the entire Lagos Police Command and its legal department have failed in the discharge of these solemn responsibilities to present the actual exhibits before this court.

“I hereby acquit and discharge the second, third, fourth and fifth defendants from the charges levelled against them,”  The court held.

The actor was arraigned in February 2017 on 36 counts of Advance fee fraud, involving N39 million; $90,000 and £12,550.

The police alleged that he fraudulently obtained the money from no fewer than 40 Bureau De Change operators in Lagos for two years, between 2015 and 2017.

The erstwhile Lagos socialite pleaded not guilty and was remanded in prison custody on February 10, 2017, pending when he would satisfy the jail terms.

He was unable to meet the bail terms and remained in detention during the trial.

The charge was subsequently amended twice, with the counts eventually increased to 44 and three additional defendants, namely: Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.

The five defendants pleaded not guilty to the first and second counts, while Egbegbe pleaded not guilty to the remaining 44 counts.

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