A Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita, a medical doctor, to seven years in prison for fraud and the diversion of N127 million.
The sentence was announced on Saturday, February 8, in a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The trial, which began in 2019, ended with the conviction of Dr. Ita by Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie. She was charged with 12 counts, including the forgery of a document dated June 11, 2014, which was falsely signed by Rose Orok Ita, a director of Sharpnet Concept Limited. Another charge accused her of knowingly receiving N45 million in illicit proceeds via the bank account of ROK Projects Limited at First Bank. The money had been paid by the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for a project carried out by ROK Projects Limited and Sharpnet Concept Limited.
Dr. Ita faced prosecution under several legal provisions, including section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Cap M17, which deals with the forgery of documents, and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011. The act criminalizes acquiring or controlling property that is known to be the proceeds of crime and provides for a minimum of five years imprisonment or a fine worth five times the value of the proceeds upon conviction.
Throughout the trial, Dr. Ita pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, the prosecution, led by Joshua Abolarin, presented witnesses and documentary evidence that supported the charges against her.
Justice Oghogho-rie ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced Dr. Ita to seven years in prison.
The case was initiated by a petition filed with the EFCC in 2019 by two directors of Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Projects Limited, who accused Dr. Ita of forging and fraudulently altering company documents to benefit herself. The petitioners claimed she had removed two initial directors from the records, falsely claiming to be the second wife of Orok Okonkon Ita, who passed away in 2004. Additionally, they accused her of appointing a new company secretary in 2014, changing the registered address of the companies, and making alterations to the allotment of shares.
