A Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a medical doctor, Geraldine Orok Ita, to seven years in prison for fraud and the diversion of N127 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the conviction in a statement released on Saturday.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie, concluded a trial that began in 2019, with the court ruling that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ms. Ita was tried on 12 counts, including forgery and money laundering.
One of the charges alleged that she forged a document dated June 11, 2014, falsely claiming it was signed by Rose Orok Ita, a director of Sharpnet Concept Limited.
Another charge accused her of receiving N45 million in illicit funds through the First Bank account of ROK Projects Limited.
The money, paid by the University of Calabar (UNICAL), was meant for a project executed by ROK Projects Limited and Sharpnet Concept Limited.
Despite pleading not guilty, the court found her guilty under:
Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act (2004), which criminalizes document forgery and carries a potential 21-year jail term.
Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act (2011), which punishes the control or possession of proceeds of crime with a minimum five-year sentence or a fine up to five times the stolen sum.
The case against Ms. Ita stemmed from a petition filed in 2019 by two directors of Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Projects Limited.
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They accused her of fraudulently altering company records to remove their names while falsely claiming to be the second wife of Orok Okonkon Ita, who died in 2004.
Further investigations revealed that she had changed the companies’ registered addresses, appointed a new company secretary, and illegally reallocated shares to herself.
After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses and reviewing documentary evidence, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution and sentenced Ms. Ita to seven years in prison.
The EFCC, in its statement, reaffirmed its commitment to combating financial crimes and warned that offenders will be held accountable under the law.