Ex-public servant accused of scamming widow with one leg denied bail

A former Territory public servant whose victims, according to police, include an elderly woman whom he fleeced of $170,000 and a ‘widow with one leg’ has been denied bail.

A FORMER Territory public servant whose victims, according to police, include an elderly woman whom he fleeced of $170,000 and a “widow with one leg” has been denied bail.

Best Oghale Okwa, 36, faced the Darwin Local Court on Friday where he applied for bail after police raided his home and arrested him the previous morning.

In opposing bail, prosecutor Naomi Loudon said Okwa was already on a suspended sentence for a previous scam when he targeted the “particularly vulnerable” women.

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“He was working as a web developer for the Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet, at that time, from an NTG asset, he sent out an email to persons that he had obtained the details from the global email list,” she said.

“That email falsely represented that it was from the Motor Vehicle Registry, it was asking people to partake in a survey and at the end they had a chance of winning an iPad.

“The purpose of that survey was to obtain details such as the name of the person, their date of birth, their licence details and the intention was to sell that on to another person.”

Ms Loudon said the alleged new scam involved Okwa allowing large sums of money to be deposited in his bank account, from which he’d take a cut and then transfer the rest on to Nigeria.

Former NT public servant Best Okwa.

Ms Loudon said far from being deterred by his previous sentence, Okwa had “really ramped up his conduct” after his release from prison by engaging in inheritance, rental and business email compromise scams.

Defence lawyer Josh Bach said his client had always turned up at court during his last brush with the law and wasn’t a flight risk due to his connections to Darwin, including a partner who was prepared to go surety for him.

But in denying bail, judge Tanya Fong Lim said the case against Okwa appeared “very strong”.

“In my view, any conditions placed upon him would not satisfy me that he’s not a flight risk,” she said.

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