The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, secured the conviction and sentencing of Dije Sale to 34 years imprisonment before Justice Umaru Fadawu of Borno State High Court in Maiduguri for forgery, use of false document and obtaining under false pretence to the tune of N66million.
The convict forged a “Purchase Order” and used same to defraud the nominal complainant of N66m under the guise of executing a purported contract awarded to her by FHI 360, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
The convict was arraigned on July 1, 2020 on a three-count charge but pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to her.
During trial, the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed called four witnesses and tendered several documents before the court that were admitted in evidence.
In his judgment on the matter, Justice Fadawu held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, saying that, “and the court is convinced that the defendant is guilty of all the three counts as charged.”
The judge thereafter convicted Sale of all the counts and sentenced her to 14 years on count one, 10 years on count two and 10 years on count three.
The court also ordered that the sentencing should be served concurrently.
The judge further ordered the convict to pay N54million to the nominal complainant in restitution, saying that, “if she defaults, the convict shall serve 10 years imprisonment which will run consecutively.”
