The protracted trial of the former Managing Director of the defunct BankPHB, Mr Francis Atuche, over N25.7 billion fraud ended on Wednesday, as an Ikeja High Court sentenced him to a total of 126 years imprisonment.
Also sentenced with Atuche is his co-defendant, Ugo Anyanwu who was the Chief Financial Officer of the bank.
Anyanwu bagged 84 years. Atuche’s wife, Elizabeth however escaped the hammer as the court discharged and acquitted her.
The trial started in 2011 went through the gamut of the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court before coming back to the trial court, which culminated in the judgment delivered on Wednesday.
Both the prosecution and defence counsels in the case filed over 200 page written addresses while the judgment took the trial judge more than 12 hours.