Nelson Utip
Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie of The Federal High Court, Calabar has sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to 7 years imprisonment for fraud bothering on forgery and diversion of funds to the tune of over N127m. She was
prosecuted by the Uyo Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on a twelve-count charge.
Some of the charges read:
“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.”
The second read:
“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.”
Ms Ita pleaded not guilty to the charges. Joshua Abolarin, the prosecution councel called witnesses and presented incontrovertible evidences against the culprit.
With the prosecution counsel proving the case beyond reasonable doubt, Justice Oghogho-rie convicted and sentenced Ms Ita to seven years imprisonment.
The case commenced when the EFCC received a petition in 2019 from Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited initiated by two of its directors accusing Geraldine Orok Ita of forging and fraudulently altering the documents of the companies in her by removing the two initial directors from the companies’ records and claiming to be the second wife of Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita who died in 2004.
They also claimed that besides the observed fraudulent alterations, Ms Ita appointed a new company Secretary on November 6, 2014 and changed the registered address of the companies at No. 25, Uyo Street, off Market Road, Port Harcourt, River State, she was alleged to have made re-allotments and return of allotments of shares.
