For being found in possession of fraudulent emails by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a man, Sunday Nwanga, has been sentenced to eight months in prison by an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
Nwanga, who had entered a plea bargain agreement with the anti-graft agency was re-arraigned on Wednesday during a virtual proceeding.
He pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of possession of fraudulent documents, contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Justice Mojisola Dada, while sentencing the defendant, however, gave him an option of N100, 000 fine.
“He is sentenced to eight months imprisonment commencing from March 18, 2020, when he was first arraigned and remanded by this court.
“The defendant is also granted an option of a fine of N100, 000 in lieu of his prison term.
“He shall upon his release from custody give an undertaking to the commission that he shall be of good behaviour,” Dada said.
Earlier before the sentence, the Defence Counsel, Mr Z. S. Makinde, in his allocutus (plea for mercy), urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
“The defendant has not wasted the time of your lordship. He is remorseful. He has seen the other side of life. He has been in the custody of the correctional centre for two months.
“I shall be pleading with your lordship to give the defendant a second chance. He is a first time offender and he has learnt his lessons,” Makinde said.
According to the EFCC Prosecutor, Mr Gabriel Akaogu, the defendant committed the offences on March 8, 2020 in Lagos.
“He had in his possession, email correspondences where he falsely represented himself as Tracy Lawrence to members of the public.
“The defendant was previously arraigned in court on March 18, where he pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge of possession of fraudulent documents.
“Proceedings were, however, halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he approached the commission through his counsel for a plea bargain agreement,” Akaogu said.
