A Excessive Courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Wednesday sentenced three civil servants to 6 years imprisonment every for payroll fraud.
The convicts are Justin Itemoagbo, Dayo Aliyu and Sylvanus Ojeifo.
A fourth officer, Dayang Jacob, was discharged and acquitted.
The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC, dragged the civil servants to court docket on a 32-count cost bordering on prison conspiracy, theft and dishonest by impersonation.
Whereas delivering judgment, Justice Peter Kekemeke sentenced the convicts after going by way of the proof offered by the prosecution.
“In totality, the proof of the first ,2nd and third defendants collapsed like a pack of playing cards.
”I due to this fact, discover the first, 2nd and third defendants responsible as charged.
”The 4th defendant is discovered not responsible. He’s accordingly discharged and acquitted.
All of the defendants’ counsel pleaded for leniency and urged the court docket to tamper justice with mercy and provides the convicts an choice of wonderful.
The defendants have been arraigned for payroll fraud they dedicated between 2012 and 2015.
They have been accused of smuggling about 15 names of both deceased employees or retired ones and picked up their salaries each month.
The primary defendant labored with the Human Assets Division, Federal Ministry of Works, whereas the second defendant labored at a assist desk officer, Workplace of the Accountant Normal of the Federation.
The third defendant labored on the Nominal Roll and Manpower Funds Workplace of the Federal Ministry of Works.
