Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court on Thursday sentenced a banker, Olawale Garuba, to 39 years imprisonment for stealing from the dead.
The convict was arraigned alongside six others in July 2015 for conspiring among themselves to steal over N30, 000,000 from the bank account a deceased customer of a bank where the convict works.
The fraud was uncovered by the bank when they discovered that some of their staff, including the convict, had connived with proxies to steal from a dormant account of one of the bank’s customers.
Upon the discovery of the fraud, the bank apprehended the staff and handed them over to EFCC for investigation and prosecution.
Upon their arraignment, they pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of fraud.
Justice Ipaye refused their bail application and remanded them in prison custody.
On June 2, 2016, the convicted banker changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty”.
He was immediately convicted by Justice Ipaye, who had adjourned the case to for sentencing.
Counsel representing the banker, O. Ajanaku, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
He told the court that his client was a remorseful first time offender with a young wife and two little children.
Prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, urged the court to consider the three way traffic while tampering justice with mercy. That is the interest of the court, the victim and the convict.
After listening to the prayers of counsel, Justice Ipaye said despite the remorse of the convict, she had no sympathy for him as he compromised his position as a banker to steal from a deceased customer whose money would have been used by the family she left behind.
She added that the convict allowed his greed to overcome him and risk losing the job that thousands of job seekers are craving to get.
The judge found the banker guilty on 13 of the eighteen counts, and sentenced him to three years imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of his first detention, which is July 24, 2015.
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Good for him. Most of them are thieves.
ReplyDeleteHehe
DeleteDis na end time confirmento sentencing......
The temptation that bankers face isn't a small one.
DeleteThe divine grace of God is all they need to control themselves from getting involved in nasty crimes like this.
Every day for the thief..this is their stock in trade.bloody pen robbers all these bankers.I have a GTB account that's been dormant for a while..I pray they try tampering with my 5 kobo when am ready for it na that time dem go know say khaki no be leather.mtcheeew
DeleteDon't blame the crook alone,it's also good for everyone to involve their family in bank dealings,since d account was dormant!A rat saw an opening,don't hide ur moni from ur love ones,so dt peeps of this world will not reap where they sow not!
DeleteSee his wicked face, meanwhile the mans family will be suffering for absolutely no reason.. Like you will live forever.. Its a common trend among people working in financial instituions.. What a shame!
ReplyDeleteWhy steal. What happens to integrity in work place
ReplyDeleteNa them way.
ReplyDelete39yrs!..ti e ba e
ReplyDeleteConcurrently, meaning he'll stay there for like two yrs and it's over? Okay o! Bankers be stealing dead people's money since 1600
ReplyDeletePlease read to understand, 3yrs for each count. 13 count charges. 13 X 3 = 39, so he ll be spending 39yrs in jail. Thanks
DeleteConcurrently,i think is,morning and night accounts for 2 days.
DeleteWhat do I know.
Next time,you'd prefer to steal from the living than the dead.
And most banks don't even look for the deceased family,if not why would the money be lying there for these thieves to steal?
09.42 anon you are the one that doesn't understand
DeleteAnon 09: 42: a concurrent sentence runs at the same time. 13 counts carrying 3 years imprisonment each running at the same time.
DeleteThe maximum penalty for theft/fraud isnt even up to 39years, not to talk of someone who changed his plea to guilty and who will be considered for that. Btw, he already spent a year in custody which will be minused.so the 1st anon is right
Anon 9:42 please check the meaning of concurrent(ly).
DeleteAnon mathematician, concurrently not consecutively. He will spend 2yrs or so from d day he was sentenced.
DeleteWicked Thief
ReplyDeleteAh ah!
ReplyDeleteThis is alarming o.
And it's now very rampant.
Na wah o!
Fear is just catching me.
The O people. I hail una.
ReplyDeleteI taya for the O people thought dey r saint.
DeleteThe judge was even lenient with him.
ReplyDeleteThat judgement is too harsh jor
ReplyDeleteThe stupid judges gave him dat long sentence becos he could not afford to hire SANs to represent him.
Politician dat steal billions get plea bargain and at worse 6 months
Moral of d story: if u must steal, steal enough to be able to afford a SAN
Don't forget to teach ur kids & grand kids that moral too. While u're at it include nieces and nephews and all wards in general.
DeleteWhat is too harsh??? Judgement that will run concurrently,meaning he will be there for about 6yrs or so. Abeg!
DeleteNa wa for you oooh
DeleteHe's spending just 3yrs not 39yrs, concurrently means occurring or happening @ same time
DeleteSee his face. Ole!!
ReplyDelete#I am a fruitful vine, I am a jouful mother of children
Nawa
ReplyDeleteRemorseful first time offender. Naso! Its always a first time,you don see thief wey gree say na im profession be that? Yeye somborri
ReplyDeletewhere are the others he connived with?
It's not 39 years but 3 years sentence. Check the last paragraph, the sentences are to run concurrently.
ReplyDeleteHe was remorseful because he got caught.
ReplyDeletena wa o! some human beings are just heartless and wicked. look at his face.
ReplyDeletePlease i dont get.
ReplyDeleteIs he going to spend the whole 39 years or 3 years for a an offense since all the 13 counts were given to him at the same time .......
I pity him less sha
3 yrs in prison on each count. 3 *13= 39
DeleteEnglish... concurrently = 3yrs. From June last year = 2yrs and 1month. Too lenient.
DeleteAll I see is his face.... happy prison
ReplyDeleteHe leaves in ikorodu and has a brother that is a pastor, he is seriously an embarrassment to his family. Make he face the consequences, all this people doing bad should remember that it's their family that will bear the embarrassement of their actions
ReplyDeleteAll those that are stealing our billions nko even as we never die they see them with our korokoro eyes what will the judges do about them.
ReplyDeleteNa only poor people dem they open eyes for. Mr. Man you be thief. Thief dead man money, fear no catch you.
My dear na their way. One of my friends built a mansion under 6months through this dead customers huge millions. I was later told by her colleague that it's what gives them quick cash now in banking sector. This is a lady I knew when she was just managing in a 2bedroom apartment, her hubby charge n bail lawyer. Now levels don change on top dead body money. Issorait
ReplyDeleteHaaa 39yrs he go don turn granpa 4 prison be that
ReplyDeleteHe's gonna spend 3yrs
DeleteEnglish... concurrently = 3yrs. From June last year = 2yrs and 1month. Too lenient.
DeleteHmmmmmm, caught by the spirit of d dead.
ReplyDeleteVery wicked man,he didn't even consider the family of the dead person.
ReplyDeleteAs in eh! And maybe if the Bank hadnt uncovered the fraud, the family wouldn't have ever known. And dats how this one wil be living large on another man's sweat.
DeleteThis get rich quick syndrome and living beyond our earning power by force matter hehn! I just wish this thief politicians can get judgment like this.shior!
ReplyDeletePls I need to ask,
ReplyDeleteI was separated from hubby before his death which was a year ago, will I be given access to his account? it is with a GT bank and First bank? I haven't even gone to ask but I am certain he has money on there. We were separated before he opened the accounts, so I doubt if he used me as next of kin but he was an expatriate and had no other family here.
We got married in 2009 and was separated in 2011. We had a good relationship afterwards and never really got around to filling for a divorce, in fact we were even discussing reconciliation before his death. We wedded in court.
What are my chance of having access to his money? I never really cared which was why I ignored it all this while but now I am beginning to think that a Banker might be helping him or herself to those funds.
Please anyone that has an idea of how I can go about it should be kind to drop a comment.
Anon 16:18,go to those banks and introduce yourself naa
DeleteMadam u will need to get a letter of administration from the court to have access to his account.
DeleteThank me later