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The court of appeal in Abuja, the nation’s capital, has affirmed the conviction and sentence of Robert Orya, a former managing director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM).
In a unanimous decision delivered on Tuesday, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by Orya against the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court.
The panel comprised Muhammed Danjuma, the presiding judge; Ntong Festus Ntong; and Ele Ejo Enenche.
According to a statement published by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the presiding judge resolved all the issues raised in Orya’s appeal in favour of the anti-graft agency.
“I have considered all briefs filed by counsel and have gone through the record of the trial court and adopted it and the issues as formulated by this appellate court in resolving this appeal,” the judge ruled.
“I looked at each and every issue, and in my final analysis, all the issues formulated for the determination of this appeal are resolved in favour of the respondent and against the appellant.
“This appeal is devoid of any merit and is hereby dismissed. The judgement of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory delivered on February 5, 2026, in charge number FSC/SC/CS/487/2021 is hereby affirmed.”
BACK STORY
Orya served as the managing director of NEXIM from 2009 to 2016.
In November 2021, he was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on a 49-count charge bordering on fraud.
The EFCC accused him of abusing his position as the managing director of the bank to obtain loans from the institution.
The anti-graft agency alleged that while Orya was managing director, he incorporated a company that used the names of non-existent persons and others without their consent to obtain loans for the company, which remained unpaid for several years.
In February, Orya was sentenced to 490 years in prison for N2.4 billion fraud.
F.E. Messiri, the presiding judge, sentenced Orya to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the 49 counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. This means he will serve 10 years in prison.
