Civil servant jailed 35 years over N2.5m fraud

A civil servant with Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority, Monday Isiorh Okoh, has been sentenced to 35 years in jail for mismanaging the agency’s N2.5 million.
Okoh, who was a Salary Officer with BORBDA, was dragged before Justice E. Edigin of High Court 3, Benin City, Edo State by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission for mismanaging over N2.5 million belonging to the agency through multiple bank accounts.
The Commission, in a 12-count charge, accused the convict of using his position to corruptly enrich himself, thereby committing an offence, which is contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.
ICPC’s counsel, Peter Malan, had told the court that Okoh committed the offence between 2006 and 2007 by paying himself monthly salaries from the coffers of BORBDA through multiple bank accounts in First Bank, United Bank for Africa and a community bank.
He was said to have perpetrated the crime in collaboration with a Cashier in the agency, Enudi Lazarus, who was also charged to court by the Commission, but was however acquitted by Justice Edigin.
Okoh was found guilty of committing the offence and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment without an option of fine by the trial judge
He was sentenced to five years per count on seven counts out of 12 on which he was found guilty.
The sentences will run concurrently.