A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja has sentenced a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Robert Orya, to a total of 490 years in prison over a N2.4bn fraud.
Orya was convicted on Thursday after the court found him guilty of multiple fraud-related offences filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The former NEXIM chief, who headed the bank between 2011 and 2016, was prosecuted by the EFCC through its counsel, Samuel Ugwuegbulam, over allegations bordering on misappropriation and financial misconduct.
Delivering judgment, Justice F. E. Messiri held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and accordingly found Orya guilty on all 49 counts.
The judge sentenced the convict to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the counts, bringing the total sentence to 490 years.
Justice Messiri, however, ordered that the jail terms should run concurrently.