Courts / Dublin / Report

No jail for man caught with €63k from invoice redirection fraud

Date
2022-06-23
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

Iheanyichukwu Banna, 35, of Clonee, Dublin, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possessing over €63,000 derived from an invoice redirection fraud. Judge Martin Nolan stated that the offence could not have been carried out without Banna's complicity, inferring he was "up to his neck in it," despite defence counsel arguing the plea was based on recklessness. The court heard that a Kilkenny-based company was defrauded in July 2018 when a bogus email directed a €63,043 payment to a Permanent TSB account. Records showed the funds were transferred to Banna's account, with €5,000 sent to his brother in the UK and €25,000 moved to his savings account within an hour. Banna initially claimed ignorance, alleging a man named Kelvin used his account, but could not explain the transactions. Gardaí recovered €42,000, leaving the victim with a €21,000 loss. Judge Nolan noted Banna's good employment record and lack of prior convictions, describing his conduct as bordering on "wilful blindness." He sentenced Banna to three years' imprisonment, fully suspended on the condition that he be of good behaviour for the duration of the sentence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: No jail for man caught with €63k from invoice redirection fraud. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Iheanyichukwu Banna

Defendant

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said the offence could not have been carried out without Banna's complicity and that the court could infer that he was "up to his neck in it". He sentenced him to three years but suspended it fully on condition that Banna be of good behaviour for the duration of his sentence.

Places mentioned

Residence
Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Secondary Mention

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence

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