Justice J.K Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced six foreigners and a Nigerian to seven years imprisonment for oil theft.
They were jailed yesterday after three years of prosecution by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The foreigners are two Pakistanis: Mohammed Ejaz, Nasser Khan; two Ukrainians: Oleksandr Nazarenko, Oleksandr Kashernvi; one Ghanaian: Romeo Annang, and one Indonesian: Fredrik Fatin Omenu.
Their Nigerian counterpart: David Otuohi bagged the same jail term.
The convicts were arraigned on Tuesday, 21 November 2017, alongside three other foreigners and another Nigerian for oil theft. The other three foreigners Victor Mikpayi (Beninois), Francis Ahorlu and Kwesi Attah (Ghanaians), and Victor Azebiri (Nigerian) was discharged and acquitted by the court.
They were all docked alongside a company: Asztral Shipping Corporation SA, and a Vessel, MT. TECNE (a.k.a MT STAR), on four count charges bordering on conspiracy, dealing in petroleum products without a license, and tampering with oil pipelines.