Linda Mabi-Praise: Senior pastor jailed over N128m fraud in Lagos

Linda Mabi-Praise, senior pastor of Temple of Praise Women Fellowship Global, Surulere, Lagos has been sentenced to five years imprisonment over N128 million fraud.

Mabi-Praise was convicted and sentenced by Justice S.O. Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja following her arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A statement on the EFCC’s website indicates that the prophetess, who was charged with three counts, was alleged to have, with intent to defraud, dishonestly obtained the said sum from Accelsor Investment Partners Limited in the guise that her company, Mutano Energy Ltd., was an accredited oil and gas dealer and that she was into oil and gas dealership.

She was also accused of issuing fake cheques to offset the funds.

Meanwhile, Mabi-Praise pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when she was arraigned in March 2019, prompting commencement of trial.

EFCC’s counsel, Franklin Ofoma, in the course of the trial, called two witnesses and tendered several documentary pieces of evidence to prove the case against the defendant.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Solebo found her guilty of counts one and three bordering on obtaining by false pretences and issuing of dud cheques.

The trial judge held that the prosecution proved the allegations of obtaining by false pretences and issuance of dud cheques “beyond reasonable doubt”.

Defence counsel, Mumuni Qudus, however, pleaded with the Court to temper justice with mercy and to give the mother of two “a second chance”.

After listening to Mabi-Praise’s lawyer, Justice Solebo sentenced her to three years on count one and two years on count three, to run concurrently.