Appeal Court Upholds Ex-NEXIM Bank MD Roberts Orya’s Fraud Conviction

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the fraud conviction of Roberts Orya, a former managing director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, over a N2.4bn case.

A three-member panel dismissed Orya’s appeal on Tuesday and affirmed the Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment that found him guilty on 49 counts linked to fraudulent loan awards at NEXIM Bank.

The lower court had sentenced him in February to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count. Vanguard reported the total as 490 years, while Premium Times explained that the sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he is to serve the 10-year term upheld by the appellate court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned Orya in 2021, accusing him of diverting NEXIM Bank funds through what prosecutors described as phoney loans. Premium Times reported that the funds involved totalled N2.4bn.

Vanguard said the appellate panel was led by Justice Muhammed Danjuma, with Justices Ntong Festus Ntong and Ele Ejo Enenche also on the panel. The judgment dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.

Orya served as NEXIM Bank managing director from 2009 to 2016. The bank is a government-owned development finance institution set up to support Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

Sources: Vanguard, Premium Times