Lasbery Okafor-Anyanwu, a former Imo State transport commissioner, was given a three-year prison sentence on Tuesday, March 14.

According to DailyTrust, Anyanwu, a former governor under Rochas Okorocha, was sentenced after being found guilty of the allegations made against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The convict was found guilty of fraud, looting of public funds, and theft, according to the ruling of the presiding judge, K. A. Lewanya.

The judge stated that the ex-jail commissioner’s term will run concurrently when imposing a sentence.

The former commissioner was found guilty of diverting N180 million of state funds into a private company account where he was a major shareholder and sole signatory when he superintended and doubled as Commissioner for transport and the Chairman Interim committee of the Imo State Transport Company (ITC), contrary to section 12 and 19 of the ICPC act 2020.

The judge did that Anyanwu by that action had violated the public procurement act, abuse of office and using his office to gain undue advantage in his dealings during his tenure as the commissioner for transport and the Chairman Interim committee of the Imo state transport company ITC.

He said that the EFCC lawyer, Micheal Ani, was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that when Anyanwu was commissioner for transport between 2015 and 2019, he transferred N100 million from the ITC account to his private company named Oma oil industries Limited.

The former commissioner was also found guilty of signing 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.

He was asked to return N180 million found in his account to the state transport firm.

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