Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Tuesday sentenced oil marketers, Mamman Ali, son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Ahmadu Ali, and a Sierra Leonean, Christian Taylor, to 14 years imprisonment each over a N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
Justice Dada jailed Ali and Taylor alongside an Oil firm, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, after she found them guilty of an amended 57-count charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The defendants were first arraigned before the court in 2012 on a 49-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and the use of false documents. According to the anti-graft agency, the offences violated the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
Delivering judgment, Justice Dada condemned the actions of Ali and Taylor, describing it as a betrayal of public trust and an attack on the integrity of Nigeria’s oil subsidy programme. She described the evidence presented by the prosecution, led by Seiduh Atteh, as overwhelming and compelling.
The actions of the defendants not only defrauded the government, Justice Dada declared, but also severely undermined the integrity of the oil subsidy scheme meant to benefit the public.
Apart from the jail term, the court also ordered the forfeiture of identified assets and accounts linked to the fraud.
The judge further issued a warrant for the arrest of Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul Afeez, two other suspects still at large.