Court sends medical doctor to 7 years in prison for N127m fraud

The Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to seven years in prison for fraud involving N127,686,594.87. Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie found Ita guilty of a 12-count charge forgery and fund diversion. The Uyo Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted the case. Ita, who had been on trial since 2019, pleaded not guilty, but the EFCC’s counsel, Joshua Abolarin, presented evidence and witnesses that convinced the court of her guilt. Her legal troubles began when Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited filed a petition against her. The petitioners, two company directors, accused Ita of forging and altering company documents to remove the original directors. ALSO READ: Nigerian brothers jailed in US over sextortion scheme leading to teen’s suicide She allegedly claimed to be the second wife of the late Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita, who died in 2004, in an attempt to take control of the companies. Further investigations showed that she unlawfully appointed a new company secretary, changed the companies’ registered addresses, and manipulated share allotments. After reviewing the evidence, the court sentenced Ita to seven years in prison. 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.” “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.” ALSO READ: Abuja Court sentences lovers to 3-month jail term each for adultery