A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Micheno Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, Uno Michael Eke, to one-year imprisonment over a N2 billion fraud involving conspiracy, obtaining property by false pretence, and money laundering.

Eke’s conviction followed his guilty plea to a four-count amended charge preferred against him by the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Uno Michael Eke (being the President/Chief Executive Officer of Micheno Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society); Registered Trustees of Micheno Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, MMCS, Aya Kanu Aya, (Alias Mbakara) being the Vice President of Micheno Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (now at large), sometime between June and August 2018 in Calabar within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: obtaining property by false pretence and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

Upon reading the charges, Eke pleaded guilty.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Joshua Abolarin, urged the court to convict him as charged. In response, defence counsel, Ime Umanah, informed the court of a plea bargain agreement and pleaded for a lenient sentence.

Delivering judgment, Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie sentenced Eke to one-year imprisonment with an option of a N2 million fine.

The court further ordered the forfeiture of 12 flats of two bedrooms each, located by Goodluck Jonathan Bypass, Calabar; two plots of land at Adiabo Ikot Mboout Community Land, Odukpani Local Government Area; two plots at Akai Effa, Calabar; 18 self-contained flats beside University of Calabar, Ita-Agbor; and N10 million recovered during investigation to the Federal Government.

Additionally, Justice Oghoghorie ruled that all recovered monies be restituted to victims named in the charges.