Court jails medical doctor for N127 million fraud

The Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State in South-south Nigeria, has sentenced a medical doctor, Geraldine Orok Ita, to seven years imprisonment for fraud and diversion of N127 million, a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the prosecuting agency, said Saturday.

The statement did not provide the date of the judgement but said the trial judge, Rosemary Oghogho-rie, convicted and jailed Ms Ita at the end of a trial that began in 2019.

Ms Ita faced prosecution on 12 counts, including forgery of a document dated 11 June 2014, purportedly signed by Rose Orok ita, a director of a company, Sharpnet Concept Limited.

Another count accused her of knowingly receiving N45 million proceeds of crime through the bank account of ROK Projects Limited domiciled in First Bank. According to the charge, the money was paid into the account by the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for a project executed by ROK Projects Limited and Sharpnet Concept Limited.

EFCC charged her in 2019, under various legal provisions including section 1(2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Cap M17, Law of the Federation and Nigeria 2004, which addresses forgery of documents, cheques, promissory notes or other negotiable instruments. It provides 21 years imprisonment without an option of a fine upon conviction.

The commission also charged her under section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, which criminalises acts of acquiring or possessing control of any property or fund with the knowledge that such property or fund is part of the proceeds of crime. Section 16 of the Act provides that, upon conviction, such a person is liable to not less than five years in jail or a fine equivalent to five times the value of the proceeds of the crime.

The medical doctor had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the trial that followed, the prosecution led by Joshua Abolarin called various witnesses and tendered documentary exhibits to support the case.

In her judgement, the trial judge ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, prompting her to sentence the accused to seven years imprisonment.

Ms Ita’s road to jail

According to EFCC’s statement, two directors of Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited lodged a petition at the EFCC, against Ms Ita in 2019, setting off the trial.

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The petitioners accused her of forging and fraudulently altering the documents of the companies in favour of herself to remove two initial directors from the companies’ records and claiming to be the second wife of Orok Okonkon Ita who died in 2004.

The petitioners further alleged that besides carrying out the fraudulent alterations, the convict appointed a new company Secretary on 6 November 2014 and changed the registered address of the companies at No. 25, Uyo Street, Off Market Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

She also reportedly made re-allotments and return of allotments of shares.