A Federal High Court, Lagos, has sent a hacker, Jules Suinner to ten years imprisonment, for defrauding Access Bank Plc of the sum of N25 million.
Justice Chuka Obiozor who pronouncement came after founding Jules guilty of all six counts charge of conspiracy, fraudulent impersonation, being in possession of proceeds of illicit funds and internet fraud.
Counsel to the Economic and financial crime commission EFCC Ekele Iheanacho had said Jules committed the offence sometimes in 2015, defrauded the Access Bank PLC by hacking using the email address and letterhead of a company named Greenview Development Nigeria Limited and used same to write a letter to the bank to transfer the sum of N25 million, into the account of ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society domiciled with United Bank For Africa, UBA.
ALSO READ: And they visited Jatt too
Upon transferring the said N25 million, the convict was said to had transferred the money into his account domiciled in United Bank of Africa (UBA) and other individuals banks accounts.
In his judgement on Friday, Jules was sentenced on all counts of the charge, Justice Obiozor said all the defence put up by the defendant is contradictory and cannot set him free from the allegations.
Justice Obiozor also held that the prosecution has successfully and sufficiently proved all the counts of the charge against the convicts.
“I’m satisfied that the story given by the defendant is a huge hoax. The prosecution has successfully proved the burden on it to established the case of conspiracy and other allegations as contained in the charge against the defendant. The story by the defendant is empty.
“Consequently, the defendant is hereby found guilty of all the counts and hereby convicted”.
Upon the pronouncement of the defendant guilty as charged, his counsel, Mr. Tochukwu Onyuike, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
Tochukwu told the court that his client is a first time offender without record of previous conviction. Adding that he has been remorseful during his 18 months in detention before perfecting the bail conditions granted him by the court.
He also told the court that the convict is married with kids who solely depend on him for their survival. Adding that if given another opportunity, he has vowed not to engage in such act again.
He also pleaded with the court to consider the 18 months his client spent in detention and give him lesser terms.
Responding, the EFCC prosecutor, Ekene Iheneacho, confirmed that the convict did not have previous record of conviction as her agency (EFCC) is concerns.
But the prosecutor called the attention of Justice Obiozor to cyber crime Act which prescribed minimum of 10 years imprisonment for the offence committed.
Consequently, Justice Obiozor sentence the convict to 10 years jail term.
The EFCC had on Monday, September 5, 2016 first arraigned the convict before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same Court on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence to the tune of N37 (Thirty-Seven Million Naira).
He was however re arraigned before Justice Obiozor sometimes in October, 2017, on an amended six count charge of defrauding the bank of N25 million.
To perfect the illicit act, the convict and other members of his team said to be at large, were said to have hacked the email address and letterhead of a company named Greenview Development Nigeria Limited and used same to write a letter to Access Bank Plc to transfer the sum of N25 million to the account of ICT Aid Foundation Cooperative Society domiciled with United Bank For Africa, UBA.
The money was allegedly transferred on July 14, 2015.
The convict and others now at large, were said to have on July 22, 2015.
