Gbenro Adesina
The hope of a convict, Olutope Oladipo, to upturn the six years jail sentence handed him on November 20, 2018 by Justice Mohammed Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court, was dashed on Friday, June 26, 2020.
Oladipo, who was convicted of stealing, had approached the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, to quash the jail sentence.
Justice Simon Haruna Tsamani, who delivered the lead judgment on behalf of Justice Tijani Abubakar, affirmed that the lower court’s decision was consistent with the spirit and letter of the law against the offence committed and, therefore, dismissed the appeal.
In 2018, Oladipo was found guilty of a four-count charge bordering on stealing, an offence which was contrary to Section 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State.
A foreign-based complainant alleged that sometimes in May 2015 he was advised by the convict (his supposed spiritual adviser) to make some investments in Nigeria and also pledged to manage same for him pending his return to the country.
According to him, between 2015 to 2016, he had sent a total of N16,050,000 to the convict for the purchase of landed property in Ibadan, establishment of a Garri Processing Plant and the purchase of a truck.
The petitioner alleged that Oladipo failed to carry out the investment plans, but converted the money to personal use.
In addition to a six years jail term, the court had ordered him to restitute to his victim a sum of N10,499,600.
Oladipo, who was not satisfied with the judgement, had headed to the appeal court to challenge the verdict, but the case was dismissed.
