Court jails ex-Union Bank director Emmanuel Nwude, two lawyers over forgery

Court symbols

The special offences court in Lagos has sentenced Emmanuel Nwude, a former director of the Union Bank of Nigeria, and two lawyers to one year imprisonment each over forgery and illegally dealing in forfeited property.

The two lawyers are Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu.

Mojisola Dada, the trial judge, convicted the three men on Wednesday after many years of trial, according to a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). THE CASE

In 2005, Nwude was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment after convincing Nelson Sakaguchi, then director of Banco Noroeste, a Brazilian bank, to buy a non-existent airport for $242 million.

On March 2, 2018, Nwude, Ilechukwu, and Kalu were arraigned on an amended 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, uttering false documents, dealing in forfeited property, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and fabricating evidence.

According to the EFCC, between 2011 and 2012, the trio attempted to engage in business transactions with a property located at Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street in Oregun, Ikeja, without authorisation from the authorities.

Prosecutors said they knew the property had already been forfeited to victims of crime as restitution following a judgement delivered on November 18, 2005, in a case involving Nwude and several others.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by Nnaemeka Omewa, called five witnesses and presented several documents that were admitted as evidence by the court.