By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
An ex-convict of Nigerian descent from the United Kingdom, one Ahmed Soetan Adebola, has bagged a one-year jail term for defrauding RADISSON BLU Anchorage Hotel of N4.4 million.
Adebola was charged to court on a one-count amended charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Lagos Command on July 1, 2022,
An operative of the EFCC, Godwin Okara, who gave a review of the facts against the defendant, narrated how the Commission received a petition from Radisson Blu Hotel sometime in December 2020.
According to him, the hotel alleged that the defendant lodged in their facility and made payments through credit cards, American Express in favour of the hotel and that “the payments were recalled by the unified payment system”.
Adebola pleaded guilty to the crime contrary to Section 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and was convicted by Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The charge reads, “Ahmed Soetan Adebola sometime between the 23rd day of October 2020 and 4th November 2020 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, checked into RADISSON BLU Anchorage Hotel for the sum of N4,449,633.12 with the understanding that your payment will be made using an American Express card with pretence you knew was false.”
Giving his judgement, Justice Dada forfeited of all the items recovered from to the Federal Government and made him sign an undertaking with the EFCC never to go back to the same crime again.
He was however, given an option of fine of N2 million, and ordered to restitute the money he was alleged to have defrauded the hotel, within four months.
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