Lagos Court jails Chinese for naira mutilation

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, secured the conviction and sentencing of one Li Lei Lei, a Chinese national, to two years imprisonment for mutilating the Nigerian currency before Justice I. Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The convict was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on tampering with the Nigerian note, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Establishment) Act.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Li Lei Lei, on or about the 17th day of May 2022, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, tampered with One Thousand Naira (N1,000) Note, with serial number 947882 issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Establishment) Act, Cap C4, Vol.1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.”

Another count reads: “That you, Li Lei Lei, on or about the 17th day of May, 2022 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, tampered with One Thousand Naira (N1,000) note, with serial number 114804 issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and, thereby, committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, Cap C4, Vol.1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.”

He, however, pleaded “guilty” to the offence.

Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Ayanfe Ogunshina, reviewed the facts of the case.

Ogunshina narrated that the convict was arrested on May 17, 2022, while trying to board a flight to Kenya.

He also told the court that, while the Immigration officers were searching for drugs and incriminating items in the convict’s luggage, he angrily tore to pieces the Naira notes to the tune of three thousand, two hundred naira.

The prosecution counsel added that the defendant was later arrested by officers of the Department of State Security (DSS) and handed over to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution.

Ogunshina tendered the voluntary statement of the convict, which was written in Mandarin and translated into English by a known interpreter to the defendant.

He also tendered the handover note from the DSS to the EFCC and the shredded naira notes.

Ogunshina, upon presenting his case, urged the court to convict him as charged and sentence him accordingly.

Justice Oweibo, who said the defendant was guilty of the offence, sentenced him to six months imprisonment on each count, with an option of a fine in the sum of N200,000.

The Star