Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, on Monday convicted a former member of the House of Representatives, Chuma Nzeribe, after being found guilty of impersonation.
Nzeribe was dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a four-count bordering on false pretence, forgery, using forged documents as genuine and cheating by impersonation.
He was alleged to have sometimes in March, 2013, in Abuja had in his possession a document containing false pretence with reference number MFCT/LA/FCT 1302, dated June 18, 2003, bearing the name of Ramatu Alhassan and, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 6, 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 which is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Nzeribe, a former Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Anambra State was, among others, accused of using the alleged document as genuine, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) and punishable under Section 364 of the same Act.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges at the beginning of the case.
Justice Halilu held that to achieve conviction in a criminal matter, the prosecution must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
He held that the prosecution was able to discharge the onus of proof and was able to prove its case against Nzeribe beyond a reasonable doubt.
While submitting that the charges against the convict were intertwined, the judge convicted the defendant on all the four-count.
He held that the convict indeed made false pretence and was guilty of forgery and using the same to be genuine.
The judge concluded that Nzeribe indeed cheated by impersonation.
Halilu wondered why a man who rose to become a member of the House of Representatives could not register the title document to the said land he claimed he brought from someone, knowing that was in his best interest.
Having found the former federal legislator guilty as charged by the EFCC, Justice Halilu said the court would defer sentencing of the convict to such a time that either the Inspector-General of Police or the EFCC would arrest Nzeribe and bring him to court.
In view of Nzeribe’s absence in court for the judgment, counsel for EFCC, A. A. Maryam, had earlier urged the court to go ahead and deliver its verdict in line with the provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
