Court sentences man to 12 months Jail term for 5.7m fraud. (Photo)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Friday secured the conviction of one Abdulmajid Abdulkareem pictured above before Honourable Justice Farouq Lawal of the Kano State High Court, to serve 12 months in jail on a one count charge of cheating.

According to a statement released by the agency, the convict who has been sentenced to serve twelve months imprisonment with option of N30, 000 (Thirty Thousand Naira Only) fine on a one count amended charge of cheating, was formerly arraigned by EFCC on the 30th of October, 2014, on a three count charge of obtaining under false pretence, forgery and using as genuine.

Upon Abdulkareem's arraignment before the court, he pleaded not guilty, but during the course of his trial in the same court, he approached the commission with a plea bargain agreement and subsequently changed his plea in today's proceeding from not guilty to guilty.

However, the convict's ordeal started when the commission received a petition that sometime in September, 2013, Abdulkareem sold a plot of land to the complainant, Sagir Bashir Nasambo with Certificate of Occupancy No. LKN/RES/2002/712 situated at No. 2786 Dorayi Babba Street, in Kano metropolis through a hand written sales agreement dated, 11 September, 2013; at the cost of N5,750.000.00 (five million seven hundred and fifty thousand naira ).

After making payments, the complainant discovered upon confirmation from the Ministry of Land and Physical Development, Kano,  that the ‘C of O’ presented to him by the convict was forged. The amended charge read" That you Abdulmajid Abdulkareem sometimes in September, 2013 at Kano within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kano state with intent to defraud, falsely obtained the sum of N5, 750,000 (Five Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) from Sagir Bashir Nasambo purporting to sell a property situated at No 2786 with Certificate of Occupancy No. LKN/RES/2002/712 situated at Dorayi Babba Street, Kano, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to section 320 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 322 of the same Law”.