Sodje brothers serving jail terms after being found guilty of diverting charity funds to personal use

NIGERIA's footballing Sodje brothers are keeping mum after it was revealed yesterday that Efe and Stephen along with cousin Bright were jailed in 2017 following their conviction for siphoning money donated towards their charity.

Ex-footballers Efe Sodje, 46, Stephen Sodje, 43 and ex-rugby player Bright Sodje, 52, were found guilty and jailed for the fraud in 2017. Theirs case can only be reported now following the conclusion of a separate trial involving former Reading and footballer Sam Sodje, 39, who was cleared at the Old Bailey of money laundering yesterday.

In 2017, the fraud trial had heard of how the family set up the Sodje Sports Foundation (SSF) in 2009, ostensibly to help provide footballing facilities in Nigeria. However, prosecutor Julian Christopher told the court that cash raised at black-tie dinners, auctions, charity football matches and a clay pigeon shoot went into private bank accounts.

He revealed that in once instance in 2011, a gala dinner was held at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester for the SSF and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. This £150-a-head black-tie event raised almost £11,500 but according to Mr Christopher, not a penny of the money raised went to the hospital.

Retired footballer Efe, was described as the face of the charity by the judge, Justice Michael Topolski, who told the defendants that they have brought shame upon themselves and their family. He added that at least £63,000 can be shown to have been received by the fund, which did not include cash donations.

According to the judge, the defendants went out of their way to ensure that proper records were not kept. He pointed out that any good works done in the past would be forever tainted by their dishonest and disreputable conduct.

Stephen, of Bexley, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for receiving £30,000 in charity funds. Efe, of Cheadle in Greater Manchester, was given 18 months in jail for receiving £7,500 from the SSF and an unknown amount from a clay pigeon shooting event.

Bright, of Sale in Greater Manchester, was jailed for 21 months for receiving £3,000 from the charity and signing cheques to other family members totalling £18,000. Their case involved the Charity Commission working with the National Crime Agency to secure the prosecution.

Tracy Howarth, the commission's head of regulatory compliance, said the defendants had misused their privileged position to exploit donors and supporters and their financial gain came at the expense of the children and causes the charity was supposed to support. She added: "The outcome of this case sends a strong message that the deliberate, wilful and cynical abuse of charity for private financial gain will be investigated and will not go unpunished."

Yesterday, Sam was cleared of money-laundering charges, just as Efe was cleared of money laundering at the Old Bailey in January 2018 but Emmanuel Ehikhamen, 53, of southeast London and Andrew Oruma, 50, of Bexley, south London, were convicted. The case against Sam Sodje collapsed and his retrial began on 7 January 2019.

Sam was charged with four counts of taking part in a fraud in which bank accounts were used to channel money from companies around the world. He was found not guilty of two of the charges on 14 January and cleared of the remaining two counts yesterday.

Another of the brothers, Akpo Sodje, 37, moved to Dubai and has refused to return to Britain for questioning.