Accountant sentenced to 304 years for forgery, stealing

AN accountant with the Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Emmanuel Sombo, has been sentenced to 304 years imprisonment for forgery and stealing of N34.9 million from the account of the college.

Sombo, who was convicted, last week, by an Enugu State High Court, presided over by Justice Kenneth Okpe, after a long trial, which started in 2010, had pleaded not guilty to the 61-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in suit No E/56C/2010.

He was alleged to have on several occasions forged the signatures of principal officers of the institution on promissory notes with which he cashed monies running into N34 million from the college account for his personal use.

The principal officers including the Provost, the Registrar and the Bursar denied signing the cheques with which the accused withdrew the monies.

The EFCC forensic experts, who took samples of the principal officers' signatures, confirmed that the ones on the cheques used in the transactions were forged.

Delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Kenneth Okpe said they based on the weight of evidence before the court, the court had no difficulty in concluding that the accused person personally forged the signatures on the disputed cheques or was assisted to forge the documents.

offences of forgery in counts 32 to 61 of the Amended Information, 87 years. However, the entire sentences are to run concurrently with effect from today. This is my judgement in this case."

Culled from Vanguard