Court sentences couple to 10 years in jail over N52m church scam

An Ikeja special offences court has sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Kristen Uyanwanne, to 10 years in jail for using the church to steal N52 million.

NAN reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the couple and the Temple International Church on a seven-count charge of stealing and fraud on February 25, 2020.

Mojisola Dada, the presiding judge, on Wednesday, found the couple guilty and also ordered the church to be deregistered and shut down.

The judge sentenced the couple to three years imprisonment on count one and sentenced the first defendant (Harry) to seven years in prison on counts two to six.

She acquitted the second defendant (Kristen) on count seven, adding that their sentence would run concurrently.

She also ruled that the convicts restitute N31 million to the complainant within 60 days of the judgment.

The EFCC had submitted that sometime in March 2016, the convicts dishonestly converted N10 million, belonging to one late Mrs. Adeola Odemuyiwa, to their personal use.

The prosecution also told the court that the convicts sold a property at Plot 32, Block 9, Magodo, Lagos, to one Kingsley Atere for N42 million, in the pretense that the first defendant was authorised to sell the property.

The judge said the offences violated section 1 (2) and (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and sections 278 and 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2011.