An Ikeja, Lagos, Special Offences Court has slammed a 7-year prison sentence on Dr John Abebe, the brother in-law of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for forgery and laundering.
Justice Mojisola Dada gave the verdict on Saturday with an option of fine to the tune of N50 million, to be paid within 30 days in lieu of incarceration.
John Abebe, the younger brother of the former First Lady, late Stella Obasanjo, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the court charged with forgery.
The EFCC, in the charges, alleged that Abebe “knowingly forged” a November 30, 1995 letter written by BP Exploration Nigeria Limited to Inducon Limited.
The trial judge gave the verdict after concluding that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and had found him guilty as charged.
In September 2022, the EFCC filed an accusation of fraud against Dr. Abebe, before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
Abebe was charged with six counts of conspiracy, theft, and acquiring money by deception along with Kamoru Alade Oladimeji, a former head of Firstbank Plc’s United Kingdom Correspondent Office.