Justice O. M. Anyachebelu of the Anambra State High Court, sitting in Awka, has sentenced Engineer Nnaemeka Nwawka, Managing Director of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc, and the Sage Nebeife Foundation to 14 years imprisonment each. They were found guilty of stealing, conversion, and gratification involving N25 billion.
The duo faced ten-count charges related to theft and illegal conversion of funds. Count one stated that Nwawka, along with others, “fraudulently converted to your personal use the aggregate sum of N82,856,934… which sum was transferred from Vhelbherg International Limited company account… into the account of Sage Nebeife Foundation.”
Count two similarly alleged that between January and May 2013, they “fraudulently converted to your personal use the aggregate sum of N29,620,733… transferred from Vhelbherg International Limited company account… into the account of Sage Nebeife Foundation.”
The accused pleaded not guilty. EFCC, through its counsel Victor Ukagwu, SAN, conducted a ten-year trial. Four witnesses testified, and multiple documents were admitted as exhibits P1 to P24.
EFCC said the evidence “showed how Nwawka ensured contracts were awarded to his friend’s companies from Orient Petroleum Resources Plc, how monies were paid to the companies and eventually returned to him through his Foundation, and how he withdrew the said monies for his personal needs.”
Defence counsels U. N. Udechukwu, SAN, and E.S.C Obiora, SAN, offered explanations on the handling of contracts. However, Justice Anyachebelu convicted Nwawka and the Foundation.
The court ordered the convicts to refund N140,900,000 to Orient Petroleum Resources Plc. EFCC added that the case began with a petition from an investor, Chief Cletus Ibeto, who claimed he had invested N25 billion.
EFCC said, “Nwawka, through award of suspicious and bogus contracts to his friend’s companies, got most of the monies back through his Sage Nebeife Foundation.”
