Roberts Orya, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, NEXIM, was on Thursday convicted and sentenced a to a cumulative 490 years imprisonment over a N2.4 billion bank fraud.
Justice F.E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, delivered the judgement after successful prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The sentence followed his conviction on a 49-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and advance fee fraud.
The EFCC prosecution established that the offences were committed while Orya served as the head of the apex export financing bank.
Although the court handed down 10 years imprisonment on each count, Justice Messiri ruled that the sentences will run concurrently.
How the NEXIM bank fraud was executed
According to the charge sheet, Orya fraudulently induced NEXIM Bank to disburse huge loan sums to Treasuremix Construction Limited under false claims that the funds were applied for by and meant for Luxurium Leisure Services Limited.
Count one of the charge read in part: “That you Mr Roberts Orya while being the Managing Director of Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank) on or about the 21st day of September 2011 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud induced Nigerian Export-Import Bank to pay to Treasuremix Construction Limited the sum of Four Hundred and Eighty Eight Million Naira (N488,000,000) as loan under the pretence that the Directors of Luxurium Leisure Services Limited applied for and are the beneficiaries of the said loan which pretence you knew was false…”
Count two detailed a similar transaction involving N630,000,000, allegedly obtained through the same deceptive means in February 2013.
The offences contravened Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
The trial of Roberts Orya
Orya pleaded “not guilty” when arraigned by the EFCC in 2021, leading to a full trial.
Prosecution counsel, Samuel Ugwuebulam, called seven witnesses whose testimonies, the court held, firmly established the defendant’s culpability.
Justice Messiri, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to conviction on all counts.
Orya’s renure at NEXIM Bank
Roberts Orya served as Managing Director of NEXIM Bank between 2009 and 2016.
He was first appointed on August 14, 2009 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and was reappointed on August 18, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
