A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to seven years imprisonment for her involvement in a financial fraud amounting to N127,686,594.87. The court, presided over by Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie, found Ita guilty of forgery and illegal diversion of funds, following a case filed by the Uyo Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Dr. Ita was tried on a 12-count charge related to forgery and money laundering. According to the EFCC, she manipulated corporate documents and fraudulently diverted large sums of money from Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited. One of 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 06/11/2014, 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 M17 of the Revised Edition (Law of the Federation of Nigeria) and punishable under Section 1 (2) (c) of the same Act.”
Another charge detailed how Dr. Ita received a sum of N45,000,000 through a First Bank account under the name ROK Projects Limited. The funds were paid by the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for a project executed by ROK Projects Limited/Sharpnet Concept Limited. The EFCC argued that she knowingly received proceeds of crime, violating the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
During the trial, which commenced in 2019, Dr. Ita pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. However, after thorough deliberation and presentation of evidence by the prosecution counsel, Joshua Abolarin, Justice Oghoghorie ruled that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, the court convicted and sentenced Ita to seven years in prison.
The case came to light in 2019 when the EFCC received a petition from Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited. Two of the company’s directors accused Ita of unlawfully altering corporate documents and removing the original directors from official records. The petition further alleged that Ita fraudulently claimed to be the second wife of Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita, who passed away in 2004, to justify her actions.
Additionally, it was revealed that she changed the registered address of the companies from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to another location and appointed a new company secretary without proper authorization. She also reallocated and restructured company shares in her favor.
This ruling highlights the judiciary’s commitment to combating financial crimes in Nigeria. The EFCC has continued to warn against fraudulent business practices, reiterating that offenders will face the full weight of the law. The conviction of Dr. Ita serves as a deterrent to individuals engaged in corporate fraud, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in financial and corporate dealings.
