Two Chinese Nationals Jailed for Illegal Mining
Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, for conspiracy and the illegal mining of solid minerals in Nigeria.
The duo were prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate One of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession and attempted export of mineral resources without lawful authority.
The defendants pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution presented evidence through an investigating officer and tendered documentary exhibits before the court.
Justice Aluko subsequently found both defendants guilty on all five counts and sentenced each of them to five years imprisonment on each count, with an option of a ₦50 million fine covering all five counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to the EFCC, the convicts conspired with another suspect, Gao Pei Yu, who is currently at large, to illegally export mica products, copper bearing and lithium bearing mineral resources from Nigeria without the approval of the appropriate authorities, thereby defrauding the Federal Government of revenue from the country’s solid minerals sector.
