Justice Frances Messiri of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has convicted and sentenced former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Robert Orya, to ten years’ imprisonment for fraud involving approximately ₦2.4 billion.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction after prosecuting Orya on a 49-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, fraud, misappropriation, impersonation, official corruption, and abuse of office.
In her judgment, Justice Messiri sentenced Orya to ten years in prison on each of the 49 counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The court found that Orya, who served as NEXIM Managing Director between 2011 and 2016, abused his office to fraudulently divert public funds through several entities, including Luxurium Leisure Services Limited, a company allegedly incorporated using fictitious identities.
He was also accused of fraudulently inducing loans, including ₦488 million granted to Treasure Mix Construction Limited, under false pretences.
Orya was arraigned by the anti-graft agency in November 2021, following investigations which revealed that he used his position to obtain over ₦1.4 billion from the bank. Prosecutors further alleged that he incorporated companies using the names of non-existent individuals and others without their consent to secure loans that remained unpaid for years.
