A High Court in Ajah, Lagos, has sentenced a 45-year-old businessman named Chukwudi Goodness to 74 years in prison after he was found guilty of stealing N360 million and issuing 31 fake cheques.
Justice Josephine Oyefeso gave the ruling on Tuesday, June 10. She found Goodness guilty of 32 out of 33 charges brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC first took Goodness to court in June 2016. He was accused of theft and giving out bad cheques related to a business deal with a man named Mr. Henry Nnadike, who lost N360 million in the scam.
The EFCC said in a statement on Tuesday that the crimes took place between June and July 2015 in Ikeja, Lagos.
One of the charges stated that between June and July 2015, Chukwudi Goodness illegally took N360 million from Mr. Nnadike. The act was classified as stealing under the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2011.
Goodness denied all the charges, which led to a lengthy trial. During the trial, four witnesses came forward to support the EFCC’s case.
The prosecution team, led by T.J. Banjo, presented various documents in court to prove that Goodness was guilty.
In her judgment, Justice Oyefeso said the EFCC had successfully proven their case. She declared Goodness guilty on all charges except one, which involved having documents with false information. He was cleared of that charge.
9th Paragraph (Paraphrased):
Justice Oyefeso gave him a seven-year sentence for the first charge of stealing. For charges three to thirty-two (related to the fake cheques), he got two years each. For the last charge of stealing, he got another seven years.
Even though he was sentenced to 74 years in total, the court said the sentences would run at the same time. This means he will only serve a maximum of seven years in prison.
The court also ordered Goodness to repay N215 million to the victim within 30 days. The judge added that if he wants to pay a fine instead, it will only be allowed if he returns the money within the given time.
