Medical doctor bags 7-years imprisonment over N127m fraud

A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted and sentenced Dr. Geraldine Orok Ita to seven years in prison for her involvement in fraud amounting to N127,686,594.87.

The ruling was delivered by Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie following a protracted legal battle initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Uyo Directorate.

Dr. Ita was prosecuted on a twelve-count charge, including forgery and fund diversion. The charges detailed how she manipulated corporate documents, misrepresented facts, and illegally diverted funds belonging to 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 M 17 of the Revised Edition (Law of the Federation of Nigeria) and punishable under Section 1 (2) (c) of the same Act.”

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Another charge accused her of money laundering:

“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 (N45,000,000) 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.”

Despite pleading “not guilty” to all charges, the prosecution, led by EFCC counsel Joshua Abolarin, presented compelling evidence, including testimonies and financial records. The court found the evidence credible and sufficient to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The case against Ita began in 2019 when the EFCC received a petition from directors of Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Project Limited. They alleged that Ita had fraudulently altered the corporate records of the companies, removing two initial directors and installing herself as a key executive.

The petition further accused her of claiming to be the second wife of the late Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita, who passed away in 2004, in an attempt to gain undue control of company assets.

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Investigations revealed that Ita had manipulated corporate records by appointing a new company secretary on November 6, 2014, and changing the companies’ registered address to No. 25, Uyo Street, off Market Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She also reallocated and reissued company shares in her favor.

After reviewing the case, Justice Oghoghorie convicted Ita and sentenced her to seven years imprisonment. The ruling underscored the severity of her crimes and sent a strong warning against corporate fraud and financial misappropriation.

Dr. Ita has now begun her sentence at the Nigeria Correctional Centre. The case marks another milestone in the EFCC’s fight against corruption, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to prosecuting financial crimes and corporate misconduct.