The Court of Appeal, Owerri, on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a former Imo State Commissioner for Transport, Lasberry Okafor-Anyanwu, for fraud and abuse of office.
The Imo State High Court on March 14, 2023, sentenced the former commissioner to one year in prison for fraudulent acquisition of property and abuse of office.
Okafor-Anyanwu, who served as commissioner during the administration of ex-Governor Rochas Okorocha, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge of fraudulent acquisition of property and abuse of office.
The commission alleged that the convict, between 2015 and 2019, while serving as Chairman of the Committee on Review of Imo Transport Company and later as commissioner for transport, unlawfully secured a private interest in a management lease agreement involving Oma Oil & Industries Limited, where he was chairman, director, and sole signatory to the accounts.
Dissatisfied with the verdict, the convict approached the appellate court to set it aside.
In Wednesday’s proceeding, the court dismissed Okafor-Anyanwu’s appeal for lack of merit.
Justice Mohammed Lawal-Abubakar, who read the judgement, held that the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the ex-commissioner fraudulently acquired government property and used his office for personal gain.
