Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced Charles Emmanuel Afaha to 110 years in prison without an option of fine for contract frauds amounting to N22 million.

Afaha, a former employee of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, was found guilty of an11-count charge bordering on forgery and misappropriation of public funds while working in the procurement department of the academy.

At the commencement of the trial on October 13, 2018, the convict had pleaded “not guilty, setting the stage for the prosecution to prove its case. The prosecution, through its counsel, T. N. Ndifon, called five witnesses and tendered several exhibits which were admitted in evidence,” the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said on Friday.

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Delivering his judgement, Justice Okeke noted that “the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the offence of forgery against the defendant in all the counts” and also ordered the convict to restitute N22,848,450.00 following an application by T. N. Ndifon, the anti-graft agency’s prosecutor.

The restitution of the said money, according to the court, would form a condition on which Afaha would be released on completion of his jail term which is to run concurrently.

According to the EFCC, one of the counts levelled against Afaha reads, “That you, Charles Emmanuel Afaha “M” on or about the 20th of October, 2016 at Oron, Akwa Ibom State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did forge a document to wit: Obinco Enterprises (Nig) receipt No. 0897 dated 20/10/2016, in the sum of N3, 384, 100 (Three Million, Three Hundred and Eighty-four Thousand, One Hundred Naira only), purported to have been issued by Obinco enterprises (Nig), with intent that it may be acted upon as genuine and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act Cap M, 17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004) and punishable under Section 1 (2) (c) of the same Act.”

On the findings of its investigation, the agency further said, “Afaha was arrested following a petition from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, alleging fraud and misappropriation of public funds by the convict.

“Investigation revealed that the convict, who worked in the Procurement Department of the Academy, made several retirements of cash advance and also received huge sums of money from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron’s account into his personal account for the execution of non-existent projects. These funds were retired by Afaha with several invoice receipts attached to the Retirement of Cash Advance memos, signed by him.

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“Further investigations also revealed that the said invoice receipts attached to the Retirement of Cash Advance memos by the convict, which amounted to N22,848,450.00 (Twenty-two million, eight hundred and forty-eight thousand, four hundred and fifty naira) were all forged by Afaha.”