LAGOS COURT SENTENCES CHINESE NATIONALS TO 46 YEARS EACH FOR INTERNET FRAUD

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HOTJIST NEWS

The federal high court in Lagos has given two Chinese citizens,

Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, a 46-year prison sentence each for crimes related to cybercrime and money laundering. Judge Daniel Osiagor found them guilty on Wednesday.

In December 2024, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) conducted its biggest single–day operation against groups involved in cryptocurrency fraud and romance scams. As part of this action, 792 suspects were arrested in Lagos, including some Chinese nationals who were directors of Genting International Co. Limited.

The suspects were arrested at a seven-storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Members of the syndicate include 114 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhs, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.

The foreigners were said to have used the building to “train Nigerians on how to initiate romance and investment scams”.

When the hearing resumed on Wednesday, Bridget Omateno, who represents the Chinese nationals, informed the court that her clients had chosen to change their pleas from not guilty to guilty.

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The counsel said that although there was no plea bargain agreement, her clients had decided to change their pleas.

Omateno asked the court to tell the charges again to the people involved.

Once the charges were read out, the Chinese citizens said they were guilty.

But Audu Friday, the second person on trial, said he was not guilty.

Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, the prosecution counsel, asked the court to convict the Chinese nationals in view of their admission to the crime.

Buhari-Bala urged the court to order the forfeiture of all items recovered during the investigations and the investments traced to the first and third defendants.

“I humbly pray to your lordship to impose the maximum sentence on the convicts in order to serve as a deterrent to the public,” she said.

In his judgment, Daniel Osiagor, the trial judge, sentenced the two Chinese nationals to 46 years’ imprisonment each with an option of a N56 million fine.

Osiagor told the defendants they must do three days of community service and then be sent back to their home country after finishing their sentence and doing the service.