Three Russians on Nigeria’s ‘wanted list after jumping bail’(Photo)

The 14 foreigners arrested in March 2015

 Three Russians convicted in absentia for illicit oil deal by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos have been declared wanted and an international warrant of arrest issued by the Nigerian authorities.
The three convicts Pakhladzhian Artur, Kretov Andrey and Shkundich Vasily reportedly jumped bail and were absent at the sentencing today, in which 11 other accomplices were given a more liberal two year term and an option of N2million fine.
Justice Buba Ibrahim said the Russians would commence their five year jail term on whatever day they were re-arrested. They were not given an option of fine.

All the other convicts were foreigners from Ukraine, Philippine and Japan.
They were all found to be illegally dealing in petroleum products in Nigeria without lawful authority.

Justice Buba sentenced eleven out of the fourteen 14 convicted foreigners to two years imprisonment each on each five count charge with an option to a pay a fine of N2m each.
Justice Buba said the sentence would run concurrently from 8th of March last year when they were apprehended by the Nigerian Navy and handed over to the EFCC.
He ordered the forfeiture of the petroleum products and the vessel into which they were loaded to the Federal Government.

He also ordered the two companies convicted alongside with the foreigners to pay N5m fine on each of the five counts levelled against them.
They all pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of N50million each, which was guaranteed by Zenith Bank Plc.
However upon the disappearance of the three Russians, the court subsequently ordered Zenith Bank to forfeit N150 million bond used to secure their bail to the Federal Government.

PMNews