Court jails medical doctor 14 years for N5m fraud in Uyo
JUSTICE Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a medical doctor and Managing Director of Ceephass Diagnostic Clinic/ Surgery, Dr. Bassey Goddy Usen, to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) prosecuted Usen on a twocount charge of obtaining
N5m by false pretence and fraud.
One of the charges read that about April 18, 2017, Usen obtained N5m in Uyo with intent to defraud Edodiong Essien under the pretence that the money would be used to execute contracts awarded to him ( Usen) by the Akwa Ibom State Hospitals Management Board, Uyo. He was also charged for pretence, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1 ( 1) ( a) of the
Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 ( 3) of the same Act.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which set the stage for his trial that commenced on October 24, 2018.
During the trial, prosecution counsel, Agbo S. Abuh, presented four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, which were admitted in evidence and closed his case on February 28.
Delivering judgment,
Justice Okeke ruled that the prosecution proved his case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendant to seven years imprisonment on each of the twocount charges.
Although, there was no option of fine, the prison terms would run concurrently with effect from the day of his arrest.
In addition, the convict would return N3m to his victim as a condition for his release upon completion of his jail term.
Usen’s journey to prison began in 2018, when Essien petitioned the EFCC, alleging that the convict approached him for a loan to enable him execute a contract for the supply of drugs to rural hospitals, purportedly awarded to him by Akwa Ibom State Hospitals Management Board.
While his claim for the loan was false, his name did not appear as a contractor with the Hospitals Management Board, he not only flouted the repayment terms, but also issued dud cheques to his creditor.