Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday convicted 14 foreigners of dealing in petroleum products in Nigeria without lawful authority.

The judge found them guilty of dealing in 1,738.087 metric tons of petroleum product in Nigeria without lawful authority or license as alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Justice Buba sentenced 11 out of the 14 convicted foreigners to two years imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of N2m each.

The judge said the sentence would run from last year March when they were apprehended by the Nigerian Navy and handed over to the EFCC.

Justice Buba, however, sentenced the remaining three convicts who had jumped bail and absconded to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.

The three convicts who jumped bail are Russians.

The judge convicted and sentenced them in absentia and issued a warrant for their arrest, emphasising that their jail term would commence on whatever day they are re-arrested.

The judge ordered the forfeiture of the petroleum products and the vessel into which they were loaded to the Federal Government.

He ordered the two companies convicted alongside the foreigners to pay N5m fine on each of the five counts levelled against them.

The EFCC had on June 10, 2015 arraigned the 14 convicts on four counts before Justice Buba.

The charge was later amended with the counts increased to five.

The convicts were arraigned alongside their vessel – MT Anukt Emerald, and two companies – Monjasa DMCC, and Glencore Energy UK Ltd.

Their names, as listed on the charge sheet, are Artur Pakhladzhian, Sergo Abbgarian, Vasily Shkundich, vitaliy Bilours, Hlarion Regipor, Laguta Oleksiy and Cadavis Gerarado.

Others are Kretov Andry, Badurian Benjamin, Chepikov Olksan, Naranjo Antero, Patro Christian, Alcayde Joel and Caratiquit Beyan.

They were identified as citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Philippine and Japan.

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