Justice K. A Lewanya has handed a former Commissioner for Transport in Imo State, Laz Anyanwu three years imprisonment having found him guilty of fraud, looting of public funds, and stealing.
Anyanwu was commissioner under former governor Rochas Okorocha and was found guilty of the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The justice said that the former commissioner in contravention of section 12 and 19 of the ICPC Act 2020, was found guilty of diverting N180 million of state funds into a private company account. He was the main shareholder and sole signatory to the said account when he superintended and doubled as commissioner for transport and the chairman interim committee of the Imo State transport company, ITC.
The judge held that Anyanwu, by that action had violated the Public Procurement Act, abused his office and used his office to gain an undue advantage during his tenure as the commissioner for transport.
Justice Lewanya stated that the EFCC lawyer, Micheal Ani proved beyond reasonable doubt that Anyanwu transferred the sum of N100 million from the ITC account to his private company named Oma Oil Industries Limited when he was commissioner for transport between 2015 and 2019.
The judge also said that Anyanwu signed off another N80 million from government coffers directly to his private company account with the motive that he wanted to procure some vehicles for ITC without due process and recourse to the public procurement act.
