COURT AFFIRMS CONVICTION OF FORMER IMO COMMISSIONER LASBERRY-OKAFOR ANYANWU
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BY OWOLABI OLUWADARA
The Court of Appeal convening in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, has upheld the conviction and one-year prison sentence imposed on a former Commissioner for Transport, Lasberry Okafor-Anyanwu, who was part of the administration led by Rochas Okorocha.
In a collective ruling issued on July 30, 2025, Justice Mohammed Lawal-Abubakar determined that the prosecution demonstrated beyond a reasonable uncertainty that the former transportation commissioner unlawfully obtained government assets and exploited his position for personal benefit. The court rejected Anyanwu’s appeal on the grounds of being devoid of merit.
Okafor-Anyanwu was earlier convicted by the Imo State High Court on March 14, 2023, on a three-count charge bordering on fraudulent acquisition of property and abuse of office. Though acquitted on count one, he was found guilty on counts two, three, and four.
The judiciary determined that from 2015 to 2019, during his tenure initially as Chairman of the Committee for the Examination of Imo Transport Company and subsequently as Commissioner for Transport, he illicitly obtained a personal stake in a management lease contract associated with Oma Oil & Industries Ltd, a firm where he held the positions of Chairman, Director, and sole signatory to its financial accounts.
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According to the appellate court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through testimonies and documentary evidence, established that Lasberry diverted N180 million belonging to the Imo Transport Company into Oma Oil’s corporate account. Specifically, N100 million was transferred from the Imo State Microfinance Bank to Oma Oil in November 2017, followed by an additional N80 million transferred from the Ministry of Transport’s account in January 2018.
The appellate panel held that such actions constituted clear violations of Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The Court of Appeal’s decision reinforces the judgment of Justice K. A. Lewanya of the State High Court, which also ordered the permanent forfeiture of the N180 million to the Imo State Government.
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