A former commissioner of Transport in the Rochas Okorocha administration of Imo State, Prince Laseberry Okafor Anyanwu, aka Laseberry Okafor, has bagged a three-year prison sentence for abuse of office and fraudulent diversion of N180 million.
Justice K.A Lewanya of the Imo State High Court, Owerri, convicted and sentenced the ex-commissioner on Tuesday.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the suspect on a four-court charge.
The court heard how Anyanwu diverted the said sum from the account of the Imo Transport Company to Oma Oil & Industries Ltd, a company in which he has interest through phony contracts.
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The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the four counts, setting the stage for the matter to proceed to trial.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted in evidence as Exhibits.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, the defendant opened his defence and testified for himself.
Delivering judgment on March 14, 2023, Justice Lewanya held that the prosecution had proved the case against the defendant, convicted and sentenced him to one year imprisonment each on counts 2, 3, and 4 without option of fine.
The judge ordered that the sentence shall run concurrently.
Justice Lewanya however discharged and acquitted him on count one.
The judge further ordered that the N180 million in the accounts of the defendant, already the subject of an interim forfeiture order, be forfeited to the Imo State Government.