The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has convicted and sentenced, a former official of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), Olayiwola Oguntade, to prison for fraud.
Trial judge Bayo Taiwo, held that the prosecution “proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and the court is convinced that the defendant is guilty of the offences filed against him by the EFCC.”
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A statement from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday said the judge convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.
According to the statement, the judge gave the judgement on 28 January.
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How convict perpetrated the fraud
The commission had charged the convict, who was a member of staff of the Finance and Accounts Department of JAMB, with forging a Local Purchase Order (LPO) and Letter of Domiciliation to obtain a N10 million from Polybadan Microfinance Bank.
The anti-graft agency said Mr Oguntade fraudulently processed the loan under the false pretence of executing a contract purportedly awarded to him by JAMB for the provision of internet services.
According to the prosecution, he gave the forged documents to a friend, K. Ola Al-Amin, who was a customer of the microfinance bank, to help him to present them to the bank and in his own (Al-Amin’s) name.
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Deceived by the convict, Mr Al-Amin secured the loan with the forged documents and helped Mr Oguntade to transfer the money to three different companies’ bank accounts, namely: Reeden Investment Limited, Danmarg Multiventures Company and Enrich System Nigeria Limited.
The companies’ bank accounts were provided to Mr Al-Amin by the convict on the pretext that the sums were payments to the companies for equipment and installations for the purported internet services.
However, investigations revealed that the convict had earlier issued forged LPOs to these companies and had to defraud Polybadan Microfinance Bank of the N10million to pay back the loans he also fraudulently obtained from them.
EFCC charged Mr Oguntade, with three amended counts of forgery, advance fee fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
The indictment alleged that sometimes in 2010 in Ibadan, Mr Oguntade fraudulently obtained the sum of N10 million by false pretence through Kola Al-Amin from Polybadan Microfinance Bank Ltd.
READ ALSO: Again, EFCC arraigns 11 Chinese nationals for alleged cyber-terrorism, internet fraud in Lagos
It also alleged that he forged an LPO titled: ‘Re: Supply of Internet Services, purported to have been issued by JAMB dated 15 October 2010 with Ref No. JAMB/FIN/282/Vol.4/445, to process the loan.
The prosecution said he committed an offence of obtaining money by false pretence, contrary to Section 1 (i) (b) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.”
He was also accused forgery, contrary to Section 467 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
The trial went on for about four years,, during which prosecuting lawyers, Oyelakin Oyediran and Lanre Suleiman, called 10 witnesses, tendered several incriminating documents against him that were admitted in evidence and urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
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