Courtroom jails former NEXIM Financial institution’s chief Roberts Orya 10 years for N1.4bn fraud

The choose held that prosecution proved its fraud case in opposition to the previous NEXIM Financial institution chief Roberts Orya past each affordable doubt.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Excessive Courtroom, Abuja, on Thursday, sentenced Roberts Orya, a former managing director of the Nigerian Export Import (NEXIM) Financial institution, to 10 years’ imprisonment for fraud he perpetrated whereas in workplace.

Trial choose F.E Messiri held that the prosecution proved its case past each affordable doubt and located the defendant responsible as charged.

The choose sentenced the previous NEXIM Financial institution chief to 10 years’ imprisonment on every of the 49 counts introduced in opposition to him by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC).

Nonetheless, the choose ordered the sentences to run concurrently, implying the convict will solely spend 10 years in jail.

EFCC arraigned Mr Orya in November 2021, charging him with abuse of workplace as managing director of NEXIM Financial institution, a place he held from August 2009 to July 2016.

The fee alleged within the fees that Mr Orya used his workplace to divert NEXIM Financial institution’s N1.4 billion tthrough fraudulent mortgage awards.

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In one of many counts, the prosecution accused Mr Orya of inducing NEXIM to pay N488 million to Treasure Combine Development Restricted as a mortgage beneath the pretence that the administrators of Luxurium Leisure Providers Restricted, an organization with possession traced to him, utilized for and have been the beneficiaries of the mentioned mortgage. The fee mentioned Mr Orya took this motion, with intent to defraud, on 21 September 2011, whereas serving as NEXIM’s director-general.

In response to EFCC, Mr Orya perpetrated comparable fraud by inducing NEXIM to pay N630 million to Treasure Combine Development Restricted beneath the identical circumstances on 19 February 2013.

The fee mentioned the actions constituted an offence opposite to part 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Price Fraud and Different Fraud Associated Offences Act 2006 and punishable beneath part 1 (3) of the identical Act.

He was additionally accused of incorporating the corporate, Luxurium Leisure Service Restricted, utilizing the names of non-existent individuals and others with out their consent, and proceeded to grant loans to the corporate which remained unpaid years after.

The defendant pleaded not responsible to all 49 counts, setting off a full trial that got here to an finish with Thursday’s judgement.

In the midst of the trial, which lasted over 4 years, the prosecution led by Samuel Ugwuegbula, referred to as seven witnesses.

The choose dominated on Thursday that the proof tendered by the prosecution proved Mr Orya was responsible of all 49 counts.

NEXIM, a government-owned improvement monetary establishment established in 1991 to diversify Nigeria’s financial system by selling, financing, and supporting the non-oil export sector.

It supplies export credit score ensures, insurance coverage, and loans to small and medium enterprises, performing as a key coverage financial institution for financial improvement.

The case involving Mr Orya highlights how officers have taken benefit of the noble objectives of the institution for private positive aspects.

Pre-trial battles
Allegations of compromised mortgage disbursement and procedural abuses sullied Mr Orya’s administration.

As an illustration, in 2019, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) accused Mr Orya of corruption and fraud.

The CBN accused his administration of plotting the removing from workplace of its deputy governor accountable for the Financial Coverage Directorate, Joseph Nnanna.

Nonetheless, Mr Orya described the accusations of fraud within the disbursement of loans in opposition to him as “wild, inappropriate, unacceptable and unfaithful.”

In 2021, the Excessive Courtroom of Benue State awarded N50 million as damages in opposition to the NEXIM Financial institution over the illegal arrest and detention of Mr Orya by the EFCC and the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The courtroom reprimanded the EFCC and the IGP “for turning themselves into instruments of persecution within the palms of the NEXIM Financial institution authorities,” and ordered them to apologise to Mr Orya.

The courtroom gave the judgement following a elementary human rights swimsuit Mr Orya filed in opposition to the EFCC, the IGP, NEXIM Financial institution, the State Safety Service (SSS), the Impartial Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Mr Orya alleged that the EFCC arrested and detained him for 4 days earlier than he was requested to proceed to report every day after which weekly for the interval protecting 2016 to 2018.

Thereafter, in October 2017, the NEXIM Financial institution administration wrote to the now defunct Particular Presidential Investigation Panel for the Restoration of Public Property (SPIP) and Mr Orya was apprehended and detained in Abuja for 4 days.

Mr Orya served because the managing director of NEXIM Financial institution between 2009 and 2016. The then-President Umaru Yar’Adua appointed him to the place for the primary time period of 5 years on 14 August 2009. Then-President Goodluck Jonathan reappointed him on 18 August 2014. However he didn’t full the second time period as he was faraway from workplace amid myriads of allegations of fraudulent awards of NEXIM Financial institution’s loans.