A Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted Geraldine Orok Ita for fraud involving a sum of N127 million.
Ita was found guilty on charges of forgery and fund diversion after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Uyo Directorate prosecuted her for embezzling N127,686,594.87.
Despite pleading not guilty, Ita’s conviction was secured after the court, led by Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie, concluded that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, Ita was sentenced to seven years in prison for her role in the fraudulent activities.
This was made known via a statement shared on the anti-graft agency’s X handle on Saturday, February 08.
The statement reads: “A Federal High Court, sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, presided over by Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie has convicted and sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to prison for fraud.
“Ita was prosecuted by the Uyo Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on a twelve-count charge, bordering on forgery and diversion of fund to the tune of N127,686,594,l.87 (One Hundred and Twenty-seven Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-six Thousand, Five Hundred and Ninety-four Naira, Eighty-seven Kobo).
“One of the charges reads: ‘That you, Dr Geraldine Orok Ita ‘F’ on or about the 6th day of November, 2014, in Calabar, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make a forged document to wit: FORM CAC 10 (ANNUAL RETURN FOR A SMALL COMPANY) IN RESPECT OF SHARPNET CONCEPT LIMITED DATED 06/1 1/2014, purported to have been signed by Mrs. Rose Orok Ita (a Director in Sharpnet Concept Limited), with the intent that the document may be acted upon as genuine and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (2) (C) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M 17 of the Revised Edition (Law of the Federation of Nigeria) and Punishable under Section 1 (2) (c) of the same Act’.
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“Another reads: ‘That you, Dr Geraldine Orok Ita ‘F’ on or about 14/02/2019, in Calabar, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did take possession of the sum of Forty-Five Million Naira (#45,000,000) through Bank Account No: 2027011283 domiciled in First Bank with Account Name: Rok Projects Limited, paid by the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for the project executed by ROK PROJECTS LIMITED/SHARPNET CONCEPT LIMITED, when you reasonably ought to know that the money was part of the proceeds of crime to wit: forgery and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (3) of the same Act’.
“She pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting her trial that commenced in 2019. In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel, Joshua Abolarin called witnesses and presented incontrovertible evidence.
“Convinced that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, Justice Oghogho-rie convicted and sentenced Ita to seven years imprisonment.”
