N57.6m fraud: Lagos businesswoman Oluremi Philips bags 17 years imprisonment
Lagos businesswoman and the proprietor of Omritas Energy, Oluremi Philips: bags 17 years imprisonment over N57,690,000 fraud
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
A Lagos-based businesswoman, Oluremi Philips who is the proprietor of Omritas Energy Limited has been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment issuing dud cheques of N57,690,000.
She was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for fraudulently converting and stealing the sum of N57, 690,000.00, property of AYM Shafa Limited meant for the supply of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). However, she neither supplied the products nor returned the money to the victim.
Philips was first arraigned before Justice S.O. Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on January 27, 2022.
However, the trial could not be concluded before the retirement of Justice Solebo in November 2022.
Consequently, she was was on May 22, 2023 re-arraigned before Justice Ijelu alongside her company, Omritas Energy Limited, on a five-count charge bordering on stealing and issuance of dud cheques to the tune of N57,690,000.
Count one reads: “Oluremi Ebun Philips and Omritas Energy Limited, sometime in 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently converted and stole the sum of N57, 690,000.00, property of AYM Shafa Limited meant for the supply of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) which you failed to supply.”
Count two reads: “Oluremi Ebun Philips and Omritas Energy Limited, on or about the 10th of April 2017 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly issued a Diamond Bank cheque of Nigeria Plc for the sum of N14,298,075.00 payable to AYM Shafa Limited, which when presented for payment was dishonoured on the grounds that no sufficient funds were standing to the credit of the account.”
The defendant, again, pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts preferred against her.
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In the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, T.J. Banjo called three witnesses through whom several documentary evidence were presented in court to prove the case against them.
The defence also presented three witnesses during the trial.
Delivering judgment , Justice I.O Ijelu held that the prosecution proved the case against the defendants beyond every reasonable doubt and convicted them on counts one to five.
The Judge, thereafter, sentenced the first defendant to nine years imprisonment on count one, with an option of fine of N2million to be paid within 90 days, and two years each on counts two to five.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
The second defendant was fined N250,000 on count one, and N100,000 each on counts two to five.
The court further ordered the restitution of N57,690,000 to be paid to the victim within 90 days.
The company was also ordered to be wound up within 90 days, if it fails to fulfil the restitution.
