Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos Special Offences Court has convicted a 50-year-old man, Abiodun Adeola Sadiq, for allegedly defrauding a businessman of 40,000 euros to be used to procure Malta citizenship.
The court convicted him after he was found guilty of the charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sadiq was charged of defrauding one Babatunde Emmanuel, a businessman, of the said 40,000 euros under the guise that the funds would be used for the Malta Government Citizenship Investment Programme as well as procurement of Malta international passport. He had presented himself to the victim as an agent of the Maltese Government. Upon receipt of the money, however, the defendant merely furnished his victim with fake Maltese international passport, which upon use, resulted in the deportation of the victim, when he used it to travel to Europe, with his 10-year visa revoked.
Subsequently, the victim petitioned the EFCC and Sadiq was thereafter arrested by the anti-graft operatives upon his arrival from the United Kingdom (UK).
The anti-graft agency said Sadiq diverted to the fund for his personal use. The EFCC had arraigned him on an amended seven-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery.
One of the counts read: “Abiodun Adeola Sadiq (aka Bunmi Sadiq) between the 14th day of May 2019 and 23rd July 2019 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division obtained a total sum of forty thousand euros (40,000 euros) from Babatunde Emmanuel by falsely representing to Babatunde Emmanuel that the money was for Malta Government citizenship Investment Programme and procurement of Malta international Passport which pretence you knew to be false.”
Another count read: “Abiodun Adeola Sadiq (aka Bunmi Sadiq) betweenMay 14, 2019 and July 23, 2019 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, knowingly forged and international passport with Passport No. 7255732 with names Babatunde Emmanuel Babalola purporting the said passport to emanate from Passport Office Malta.”
He was also accused of forging two other Maltese international passports in the names of Vincent Genesis Oyinlola and Vincents Olivia Ashinedun.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when he was arraigned.
In the course of the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Samuel Daji, called four witnesses including Sadiq’s victim, who, testifying as the second prosecution witness narrated how he was defrauded and how, following the use of the passport, he was humiliated in Europe and treated like a terrorist as the passport was forged.
The prosecution tendered eight exhibits, which were admitted by the court. In his defence, the defendant claimed that the forged passport, which landed the victim in trouble, was obtained from one “Sesan”, whose surname and location he could not provide throughout the trial.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Taiwo held that the prosecution proved all the counts against the defendant beyond every reasonable doubt.
The defence counsel, P.A. Awe, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and to grant a non-custodial sentence.
The defendant himself pleaded before the court, in a remorseful tone , when he said, “ have mercy upon me.”Thereafter, Justice Taiwo sentenced him to five years on count one, and two years each on counts two to seven. The sentences are to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victim.