Fraud: Former Air Force Chief, Tony Omenyi Gets Seven Years Jail Term

Tony Omenyi Gets Seven Years Imprisonment Over N136M Laundering

A Federal High Court Sitting in Abuja today, sentenced a former Managing Director of the Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Ltd, AVM Tony Omenyi to seven years imprisonment.

Mr Omenyi was charged with laundering a sum of N136 million which he said was received from a contractor with the Nigerian Air Force.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in his judgment ordered the forfeiture of sixty-two million naira to the Federal Government of Nigeria, being part of the one hundred and thirty six million naira recovered from the formal Air Vice Marshall by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The judge also ordered the winding up of the said company which was listed as the second defendant in the suit, having been a vehicle of corruption.

EFCC witness, Hassan Saidu, an EFCC Principal Detective, had informed the court that the investigation of the defendants was triggered by a letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) dated 9th December, 2015 alleging that the defendant was operating suspicious accounts.

Continuing with his evidence, Saidu stated that, “in January 2014 the contractors were paid the sum of over N202 million and they, in turn, paid the sum of N24.8 million to the defendant’s company.”

While in April 2014, the contractors were paid the sum of about N690 million, they transferred the sum of N61.5 million out of it to the defendant’s company, HUZEE Nigeria Limited.

On 18th November 2014 the contractor paid the sum of N50 Million to Air Vice Marshal Omenyi’s company after receiving about N556 million from the Nigerian Air Force”.