ICPC: Court Jails 2 Nigerians For Duping South Korean

Two fraudsters, Aso Adasa Morrison and Frank Biobarakuma were on Thursday sentenced to seven years imprisonment by Hon. Justice B. A. Georgewill of the Rivers State High Court.

They were arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on a 17-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and obtaining by false pretence.

Following a petition from South Korean Embassy, the ICPC began an investigation which led to a court trial.

The court was informed of how the convicts and others (at large) between the months of March 2012 and February 2013 in Port Harcourt defrauded one Mr. Jung Yongmin, a South Korean. 

The two fraudulently obtained the sum of $260,000 and $402,300 from Yongmin, under the pretext of selling Nigerian crude oil to him.

According to ICPC, their actions were contrary to Sections 1 and 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2004 and Section 467 of the Criminal Code Act, 2004.

The convicts had earlier entered a “not guilty” plea when the charges were brought before them and that set the tune for a long legal battle.

However, it was only recently that the trial judge, Justice S. C. Amadi, Chief Judge of Rivers State (who inherited the case after the elevation of Justice Georgewill to the Court of Appeal) found the Convicts guilty on all 17 counts.

The defence counsel pleaded that the convicts were first-time offenders who have children to cater for and that the court should consider a non-custodial sentencing which was not granted.

Based on this, Justice Amadi sentenced the duo to 3 years in prison for counts 1-4, 7 years in prison for counts 5 & 6, and 3 years in prison for count 7-17 without any option of fine.

The sentences are to run concurrently, and the court further advised that the South Korean Embassy (the petitioners) be informed of the judgment which is a consequence of their petition to ICPC.