On Wednesday, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court located in Gwagwalada convicted fictitious senator Tom Makwe and sentenced him to two years in prison.
The defendant was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with defrauding a Spaniard out of 47,082 euros.
He was charged with two counts of intending to commit online fraud.
The guilty party entered a guilty plea and requested mercy from the judge.
Judge Aliyu Shafa, who delivered the verdict, also offered him the chance to pay a N5 million fine.
Shafa directed that the victim, Maria Del Rosario San Jose Garces, receive the N30 million and 1,300 dollars that were seized from the convict through the Spanish embassy in Nigeria. Within two weeks, the registrar of the court must present evidence of forfeiture.
He ordered that the government forfeit the items found on the prisoner—a black 2017 Camry automobile, a Samsung S 23, an Apple iPhone 13 smartphone, and an HP EliteBook—and that the victim receive the revenues of sale via the Spanish consulate in Nigeria.
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The prisoner had already expressed heartfelt regret to the court for his misbehaviour and poor moral character.
“As a transformed individual, I beg the court to distort justice in favour of kindness. He begged, “I swear I’ll never deal with online fraud again.
Adaji Abel, the defence attorney, implored the court to tamper with justice by showing mercy in support of the convict’s allocutus.
According to Abel, the prisoner was a first-time offender who had cooperated with the EFCC’s investigation, made restitution, and given the investigator vital information that helped them apprehend further con artists.
Deborah Adamu-Eteh, the prosecution’s attorney, informed the court that the defendant had assumed the identities of Fahad Tonny Makwe, Bryan, and Senator Tompolo with the intention of defrauding over the internet between December 12, 2021, and November 12, 2022.
The prisoner claimed to be a white man named Diplomatic Solicitor, with phone number +34613208672, according to Adamu-Eteh.
She added that using a Bitcoin wallet address he constructed, the prisoner in that supposed role was able to receive 47,082 Euros from a Spanish citizen named Maria Del Rosario San Jose Garces.
