Posted by Kayode Ketefe on
After 18 months of rigorous trial, one of the accused persons in the $242 million Brazilian bank scam, Mrs Amaka Anajemba, was on Friday sentenced to two and half years in prison by an Ikeja High court.
After 18 months of rigorous trial, one of the accused persons in the $242 million Brazilian bank scam, Mrs Amaka Anajemba, was on Friday sentenced to two and half years in prison by an Ikeja High court.
Anajemba had been standing trial before the court presided over by Justice Joseph Oyewole as one of the three persons who allegedly defrauded a Brazilian banker, Mr. Nelson Sakaguchi and his bank, Banco Noreste S.A Sao Paulo, of the sum of S242 million. Four companies, allegedly owned by the accused persons, were also joined in the matter as co-accused.
Having pleaded guilty to the amended charge dated June 17 2005, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which had only one count offence of 'non-disclosure of asset" against her,the court convicted Anajemba and sentenced her accordingly.
The count for which she was convicted on her plea of guilt read, 'Amaka Anajemba (a.k.a. Mrs Rasheed Gonwalk; Rossy Ford,Olisa Agbakoba) on or about 6th November 2003 in Lagos in the Ikeja Judicial Division, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liabilities in the Declaraton and Assets Form issued to you by Umar Sanda,CSP attached to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission."
Interestingly, her sentence was made to start running from January 30, 2004 when she was detained alongside other accused persons,Emmanuel Nwude and Nzeribe Okoli.
The implication of this is that she will only spend two months and 15 days in prison.
But the company owned by Anajemba's late husband, Fynbaz (Nigeria Limited), on behalf of which Anajemba also pleaded guilty on three counts, was ordered to forfeit numerous properties allegedly acquired with the proceeds of the fraud to Sakaguchi.
These properties are those listed in Schedules A and B in the fifth additional proof of evidence before the court. While Schedule A includes properties scattered in England, Switzerland and USA.
Those listed in Schedule B comprise buildings scattered across Nigerian cities of Port Harcourt, Enugu, Lagos and Abuja as well as shares in four companies.
Also contained under these list were four cars, including a Jaguar Saloon car, Rolls Royce saloon car, Peugeot 406 and Toyota Hiace bus.
Fynbaz Nigeria Limited was found guilty on three counts, consisting of money laundering, conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence and obtaining the sum of $48.5m, being the property of Sakaguchi and a company called Stanton Development Corporation by false pretence between April 2, 1995 and January 1998.
Apart from the above forfeiture order, the company was also ordered to pay a fine of N1 million.
The court adjourned the trial of the remaining accused,Nwude,Okoli and the three remaining companies, Emrus {Nig]L td, Ocean Oil Marketting Nig. Ltd and African Shelter Bureau De Change Ltd, for the remaining 87 count charge, till September 13 and 14 2005.
Saturday Punch, July 16, 2005