A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted Rahvet International Limited for the unlawful conversion of ₦21 million belonging to one Chioma Adeoye.
Justice Ismail Ijelu delivered the judgment after the company pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge of stealing, filed against it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge was brought under Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
According to the prosecution, Rahvet International Limited, sometime in June 2021 within the Ikeja Judicial Division of the High Court, dishonestly converted the sum of ₦21 million, property of the complainant, to its own use.
Prosecuting counsel, Anita Imo, told the court that the company approached the complainant under the pretext of carrying out a research project and persuaded her to transfer funds into its bank account.
An EFCC operative, Leonard Ayakor, who testified as a prosecution witness, said investigations confirmed that the total sum of ₦21 million was paid into the company’s account.
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He added that the entire amount was refunded to the complainant during the course of the EFCC’s investigation.
The prosecution tendered the complainant’s petition and the defendant’s statements, which were admitted in evidence by the court.
After reviewing the facts of the case and the company’s guilty plea, Justice Ijelu found Rahvet International Limited guilty as charged.
The court consequently imposed a fine of ₦100,000 on the company, payable within 72 hours, noting that full restitution of the stolen sum had already been made to the complainant through the EFCC.