Admin l Monday, September 19, 2022
IKEJA, Lagos – An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Monday sentenced a man, Emmanuel Koroma, to two years imprisonment for using a fake document to stand as surety for his brother in-law.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo sentenced the convict to two years, following his guilty plea to nine counts bordering on forgery, use of false document and protecting informant and information.
“The defendant is deceptive and fraudulent. If you’re going to stand a surety for someone, use a genuine document. I hereby find the defendant guilty as charged. I have considered the allocutus of the defence counsel, I hereby sentenced him to two years imprisonment,” Taiwo said.
The judge, however, said the term would run concurrently or the convict pay a fine of N100,000 on each count.
The defence counsel, Mrs J.A Mercy Ahagbue, in her allocutus, prayed the court to temper Justice with mercy, adding that the wife of defendant had just put to birth, two months after his arrest.
“He is a first offender my lord, he is pleading with this honourable court to please tender justice with mercy. He is also promising to be a better person to his society as a whole. He is sincerely sorry my lord,” Ahagbue said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Samuel Jaji, in his review of fact dated Sept. 14 and a letter from Julius Berger, stating that the document did not emanate from them, had urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.
Jaji submitted that the defendant, in order to facilitate the securing of one Yusuf Ademola, forged a document titled “employment letter” dated July 14, 2014 and purported the document to have been issued by Julius Berger.
The prosecutor said that the defendant also forged a document titled “confirmation of employment dated Oct.15 2014, purported same from Julius Berger in order to secure bail for his brother in law.
The EFCC counsel said the offences violated Sections 363(1), 366(1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015, and Section 39(2)(a) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004
