Fraud: EFCC Investigates Two Lebanese Over $890,000

Suspected for fraud, two Lebanese nationals – Dina Jihad Khali and Chamseddine Waell Mohmmed have been apprehended by Nigeria’s top anti-graft agency. 

TheConscienceNG reports that on Tuesday,  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC commenced full investigation of the duo following their arrest for attempting to smuggle the sum of $890,000 USD ( Eight Hundred and Ninety Thousand United States Dollars, equivalent to N339,853,699.77; Three Hundred and Thirty Nine Million plus) out of the country.

In a statement made available to TheConscienceNG, the agency revealed that the suspects were arrested by officers of the Customs Area Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday, while trying to board flights to Lebanon, and were subsequently handed over to the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC for further investigation.

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EFCC further disclosed that the money recovered from the suspects, which they failed to declare to Customs, has been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, for safekeeping pending the investigations.

Following the arrests which signalled good collaboration between the EFCC and the Customs, the agency promised to charge the suspects to court after concluding its investigations into the crime.

Recently, the top anti-graft agency also secured the conviction of six internet fraudsters, namely Chisom Emmanuel Odom; Isajimi Joshua; Tafa Basit; Adeleye Oladele Benjamin, Chukwu Simon and Amoo Tunmise, across different high courts at the nation’s capital, FCT.

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The Commission revealed that the Internet fraud suspects who specialize in business emails and scamming had turned their homes into dens for internet fraud. They were arrested by the EFCC operatives with various electronic gadgets such as specialised multiple laptops, phones, chargers, software and hardware devices used for their illicit trade.

Justice F.O.G Ogunbanjo, convicted and sentenced Odom and Joshua while Justice Ojukwu of Federal High Court, convicted Benjamin to two years imprisonment. She also convicted and sentenced Tunmise and ordered him to pay a fine of N1million.

Meanwhile, Justice Binta Nyako convicted and sentenced Simon and Basit to six months and three months respectively.