The Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to seven years in prison for fraud amounting to N127,686,594.87.
Presided over by Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie, the court found Ita guilty on a twelve-count charge of forgery and fund diversion.
The prosecution was led by the Uyo Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ita, who pleaded “not guilty,” had been on trial since 2019.
The EFCC’s counsel, Joshua Abolarin, presented witnesses and evidence that the court found incontrovertible. Convinced of the prosecution’s case, Justice Oghoghorie sentenced Ita to prison.
Her legal troubles began in 2019 when Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited filed a petition against her.
The petitioners, two directors of the companies, alleged that Ita forged and fraudulently altered company documents, illegally removing the original directors.
She allegedly claimed to be the second wife of Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita, who died in 2004, to assume control of the companies.
Further investigations revealed that Ita unlawfully appointed a new company secretary, changed the registered address of the companies from No. 25, Uyo Street, off Market Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and manipulated share allotments
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.”
“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.”
