A close ally to former President Goodluck Jonathan, George Turnah, has been convicted and sentenced by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Turnah, a former Special Adviser to erstwhile Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dan Abia and political godson of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, was sentenced alongside two others to six years imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretence.
Ebis Orubebe and Uzorgor Chidebere are the two others sentenced alongside Turnah.
The Presiding Judge, Justice A. T. Mohammed also convicted them of money laundering, conversion of funds and forgery.
Their offenses were contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, originally arraigned them in May 2017 and they were re-arraigned on January 25, 2021
They were arraigned on 23 counts bordering on obtaining by false pretence, money laundering and abuse of office to the tune of N2,894,500,000.
EECC confirmed this on Monday through its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.
Uwujaren’s statement said, “They were jailed on Thursday, September 7, 2023, having been found guilty of charges preferred against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…”
According to the statement, they pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
