Justice Frances Messiri of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has convicted and sentenced a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Robert Orya, to ten years in prison for fraud involving approximately ₦2.4 billion.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction after prosecuting Orya on 49 counts, including criminal breach of trust, fraud, misappropriation, impersonation, official corruption, and abuse of office.

Delivering judgment, Justice Messiri sentenced Orya to ten years’ imprisonment on each of the 49 counts, with the terms running concurrently.

The case arose from allegations that Orya, who served as NEXIM Managing Director from 2011 to 2016, abused his position to fraudulently divert funds through entities such as Luxurium Leisure Services Limited, which was incorporated using fictitious names.

He was also accused of inducing loans, including N488 million to Treasure Mix Construction Limited, under false pretenses.

Orya was arraigned by the anti-graft agency in November 2021 on the 49-count charge bordering on fraud.

EFCC alleged that he used his position to obtain over N1.4 billion from the bank and incorporated a company using the names of non-existent individuals and others without their consent to secure loans, which remained unpaid for years. Orya pleaded not guilty to the charges.