The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday convicted a popular Lagos-based cleric, Prophet Israel Ogundipe, of fraud charges.

Ogundipe, who is the Shepherd-in-Charge of Celestial Church of Christ Global Genesis parish, had been dragged to court on the complaint of a London-based architect, Mrs Olaide Williams-Oni, who accused him of obtaining a total of N17m from her with the promise to help her procure some landed property.

In her testimony before the court, Williams-Oni had told the court that she met the cleric in 2002 during her visit to Nigeria, when she was taken to his church for prayers by her step-sister.

The trial judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade sentenced Prophet Oladele after she found him guilty of two count charges out of the seven he was charged with.

Justice Akinlade in a judgment that lasted for about four hours sentenced the defendant, prophet Oladele to a year imprisonments for count two and four.

She however discharged him of counts 1,3, 5 ,6 and 7 for lack of evidence against him.

Giditrendz recalls that Oladele was charged with seven counts charges bordering on fraud and obtaining money by false pretenses, preferred against him by the Lagos State government sometimes in 2007.

He was said to have defrauded one Mrs Olaide William Oni to the tune of eleven million naira (N11m).

He had however pleaded not guilty to the charge when he was brought before the court.