In a bizarre judgment, Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya of FCT High Court sitting in Kubwa, today ordered Ejaigu Doland to clean the premises of the Saint John Mary Vianney Catholic Church, Kubwa, Abuja for 90 days over attempted cheating.
Section 322 of the Penal Code under which Donald was sentenced for contravening Section 320, reads “Whoever cheats shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.”
Doland a 27 year old businessman, pleaded guilty to fraud filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and begged the court for leniency.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya ordered Doland to report to the church every day at 9 am, and sign in and out upon completion of the service.
Failure to perform the community service would lead to a reversal of the sentence to a correctional facility, ” Justice Ogbonnaya said.
The Counsel to EFCC, Mariya Sherriff, infirmed the court that a plea bargain agreement had been reached with the defendant and signed by the defence counsel, Calistus Aneke.
Sherriff said the agreement is pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, adding that Doland agreed to forfeit proceeds of the crime to the Federal Government.
According to Punch, the prosecution counsel had told the court that Doland created a social media account misrepresenting himself to be Elliott Camfield, a cryptocurrency expert, with intentions to defraud a foreign citizen in September 2021.
The offence, she said, contravened the provisions of Section 320 of the Penal Code and was punishable under Section 322.
“The proceeds include a N300, 000 bank draft, his HP laptop, iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy cell phone,” she said.
She, however, prayed the court to sentence Doland accordingly.
The defence counsel told the court that Doland was remorseful having spent a long weekend in the correctional centre, following the adjournment of the matter for sentencing.
