A Karu Upper Area Court in Abuja on Tuesday sentenced a businessman, Mubarak Shaibu, to seven months imprisonment for swindling a friend of N50,000.
The judge, Mr Ishaq Hassan, however gave the convict an option of N15,000 fine.
He also ordered him to pay a compensation of N50,000 to the complainant and warned him to desist from committing crime.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Olarewaju Osho told the court that the complainant, Ladi Mohammed of Garki 2, Abuja reported the matter at the Garki police station on March 13.
Osho said that the complainant alleged that on March 10, she transferred N50,000 to the convict through his Sterling bank account based on the trust she had for him to give to her sick father.
However, he said, instead of the convict keeping to the agreement, decided to convert the said money to his personal use.
He said the offence contravened sections 312 and 309 of the Penal Code