By Felix Kuyinu
A Realtor has been sentenced to a three-year-jail term for stealing the sum of N700,000 in Lagos.
The lawbreaker, Peter Anucha, was arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi at the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday.
The judge, highlighting that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the charge of stealing proffered against the convict and his company, Business Defense Solutions Ltd, said that the evidence before the court showed that the complainant, one Obinna Ukpabi, indicated interest in leasing a property from the convict.
He said that they both signed a memorandum of understanding in which the complainant paid the sum of N700,000.
Justice Oshodi further said that contrary to the jailbird’s representations, he had no legal interest in subleasing the property, and even more egregious, after collecting the money, he became incommunicado and never delivered possession of the property to the victim as agreed.
He uttered, “You have been standing trial for this offence for several years since you were first arraigned in 2018. Your lawyers contributed to the delay by failing to attend court or being unwilling to proceed with the trial.
“The trial length could not detract from the severity of the offence and its impact on the victim. This court considered that the convict was in the custodial centre for a similar offence before another court of coordinate jurisdiction.
“The convict had habitually engaged in fraudulent schemes to trick unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money.
“At sentencing, you showed no remorse, no regret for your crime, and considering all the above factors, I now sentence you to three years imprisonment starting from March 12, 2018, the date of your remand by this court. As an artificial legal person, I now impose a fine of N500,000 on the second convict, Business Defense Solutions Ltd., which must be paid within 90 days of this judgment.”
