The federal high court in Lagos has sentenced two Chinese nationals — Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu — to 46 years imprisonment each over charges bordering on cybercrime and money laundering.
Daniel Osiagor, the trial judge, convicted the two Chinese nationals on Wednesday.
The Chinese nationals, directors of Genting International Co. Limited, were among the 792 suspects arrested in Lagos in December 2024 when the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) carried out its largest single-day operation against cryptocurrency and romance scam networks.
The suspects were arrested at a seven-storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Members of the syndicate include 114 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhs, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
The foreigners were said to have used the building to “train Nigerians on how to initiate romance and investment scams”.
At the resumption of the hearing on Wednesday, Bridget Omateno, counsel to the Chinese nationals, told the court that her clients had decided to change their pleas from not guilty to guilty.
The counsel said that although there was no plea bargain agreement, her clients had decided to change their pleas.
Omateno urged the court to direct that the charges be read to them afresh.
After the charges were read, the Chinese nationals pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
However, Audu Friday, the second defendant, maintained his plea of not guilty.
Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, the prosecution counsel, asked the court to convict the Chinese nationals in view of their admission to the crime.
Buhari-Bala urged the court to order the forfeiture of all items recovered during the investigations and the investments traced to the first and third defendants.
“I humbly pray to your lordship to impose the maximum sentence on the convicts in order to serve as a deterrent to the public,” she said.
In his judgment, Daniel Osiagor, the trial judge, sentenced the two Chinese nationals to 46 years’ imprisonment each with an option of a N56 million fine.
Osiagor ordered that the defendants undertake three days of community service and be repatriated after serving their sentences and completing the community service.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of assets recovered from multiple locations in Victoria Island and Ikoyi to the federal government.
Friday is expected to resume his trial.
