Mrs Ada Ugo-Ndali, Nation’s photo.
As the Lagos High Court pronounces guilt sentence on her, dazed oil magnate, Mrs Ada Ugo-Ndali, slumped in the dock on Friday.
In spite of the condition, the court convicted her of a N1.7 billion subsidy fraud.
Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos high court in Ikeja found Ugo-Ndali, the Managing Director of Ontario Oil and Gas, alongside the chairman of the company, Mr Walter Wagbatsoma, guilty .
The N1.7 billion fuel subsidy fraud charge was preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering judgment, Justice Okunnu discharged and acquitted the Petroleum Products Price and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) representative, Fakuade Ebenezer of allegations of forgery.
After reading the judgment, Justice Okunnu, stood the matter down for a 15- minutes break for allocutus plea by the convicted persons.
When the judge returned after the break to hear the defendant plea for mercy at 1:15pm., the second defendant, Ada Ugo-Ndagi suddenly slumped and fainted in the dock.
When Ugo-Ngadi was finally revived, she was breathing heavily just as counsel were frantically calling for medical assistance and an ambulance.
She was later assisted out of the court by her lawyers into a waiting black jeep which sped out of the court premises.
The development forced Justice Okunnu to adjourned sentencing of the convicts till Monday.
Wagbatsoma, Ugo-Ndagi and the oil company were charged to court on July 7, 2010 for collecting N1,7 billion from the federal government as fuel subsidy payable to Ontario Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited.
They were arranged on an eight count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence from government, forgery and altering of documents.
Delivering judgement in the matter, Justice Okunnu stated that the convicts defrauded the Federal Government of N754million in oil subsidy in a transactions totalling N1.7billion.
As stated by her, the defendants defrauded the federal government of N340million in the third quarter of 2010 and N414million in the fourth quarter of 2010.
ation