A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo has convicted and sentenced a notorious international fraudster, Scales Olatunji, to 235years imprisonment for internet fraud and money laundering.

EFCC arrested him on March 20, 2019 at his Ikota , Lekki’s residence based on a petition from the Oslo Police District in Norway.

According to reports, Scales Olatunji was arraigned on July 2, 2019 on 45-count charges bordering on identity theft, money laundering and conspiracy.

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, thus setting the stage for his trial.

One of the counts read, “between January 2017 to October 2018, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N525,172,580.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activities to wit: fraud Business E-mail Compromise and Identity Theft, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act”

Another counts read, On may 15, 2018 he sent an email to one Monica Goulmoen of the Charity Association for providing girls and boys in Kobane with a football pitch, while impersonating a certain Per Ravn Omdal, a former Norwegian Football Association President, demanding the sum of €64,000.00 to be transferred to you via IBAN GB74HBUK40062132722119 which was paid and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (3)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, etc Act 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (4) of the same Act”.

Delivering judgment on Monday, June 27, 2022, Justice Okeke convicted Olatunji on all the 45- counts preferred against him by the EFCC. Justice Okeke said that, “the evidence of the prosecution witnesses are consistent and the prosecution established the guilt of the defendant in the case of money laundering as it relates to count one to five of the charges. The prosecution also established the guilt of the defendant in the offence of cybercrime as it relates to count six to forty five of the charges. The prosecution, on the totality of evidence before this court, proved the charges against the defendant.”

The judge sentenced Olatunji to seven years imprisonment on counts one to five, and five years imprisonment on counts six to forty-five. The sentence, shall, however, run concurrently with effect from the date of arrest.

Meanwhile, “The court also ordered that the money in the convict’s account be forfeited to Norwegian citizens through the EFCC. Also, two of his houses in Lagos State are to be sold by the EFCC and the proceeds restituted to the Norwegian victims.”