BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of Robert Orya, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), over a fraud involving about N2.4 billion.
Orya, who headed the bank between 2011 and 2016, was prosecuted by EFCC counsel Samuel Ugwuegbulam and convicted by Justice F. E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the 49 counts against him, bringing the total sentence to 490 years.
Delivering judgment, Justice F. E. Messiri sentenced Orya to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the 49 counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The case stemmed from allegations that Orya, who served as Managing Director of NEXIM Bank between 2011 and 2016, abused his office to fraudulently divert funds through companies, including Luxurium Leisure Services Limited, which was allegedly incorporated using fictitious identities.
He was further accused of fraudulently inducing the approval of loans, including a N488 million facility granted to Treasure Mix Construction Limited, under false pretences.
Orya was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in November 2021 on a 49-count charge bordering on fraud. The anti-graft agency alleged that he used his position to obtain over N1.4 billion from the bank and incorporated companies using the names of non-existent persons and others without their consent to secure loans that remained unpaid for several years.
