Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that Justice Babatunde Quadri of Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, May 11, 2020, ordered the final forfeiture of $300,000 belonging to a Chinese national, Li Yan Pin, to the Federal Government.
According to a statement issued by the head of media and publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, the judge had earlier ordered the interim forfeiture of the money following an exparte application filed by the EFCC.
The Commission in the statement said Yan Pin stood trial for a money laundering charge, levelled against him over the said sum after intelligence led to his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for failing to declare the sum in his possession, as he attempted to board a flight to China en-route Dubai.
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Justice Quadri in his judgment noted that the prosecution had proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt and found the defendant guilty of the charges, according to Section 2, sub-section (5) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011, as amended in 2012.
The defense counsel in his response pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as the convict, he said had invested his resources to the development of Nigeria, and currently facing difficult health challenges, noting also that his client had no prior criminal conviction.
While ordering that the said sum be forfeited to the Federal Government, Justice Quadri, saved the convict a jail term on the ground that he had earlier filed for a medical leave over alleged COVID-19 symptoms that included persistent headache, insomnia and fatigue.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has disclosed that Debora Moreira, a Brazilian victim of internet fraud, has acknowledged the receipt of the sum of $4,040, which was recovered on her behalf by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC.
Moreira lost the money to Emmanuel Tope, a convicted fraudster, in a romance scam. EFCC commenced investigation of the scam in March 2019 and successfully recovered the money, prosecuted and got the fraudster convicted.
The proceeds of crime was remitted into the victim’s account with Bank Itau S/A, Rua Ameirico Brasiliense, through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
