A Woman identified to be Mercy Yusuf, the owner of the property, and her company, T.M. Properties Limited, were found guilty and given sentences by Justice E. Okpe of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Nyanya in Abuja.
After claiming ownership of Property 1721 Jahi District Cadastral Zone B08, Abuja, she obtained $298,000 and N40 million from Bacab Properties Ltd unlawfully and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
On October 20, 2021, Yusuf was charged with four charges of collecting money via false pretenses, forgery, and using fake documents as genuine by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The trial was set to start on February 1, 2022, after the defendants entered pleas of not guilty to the allegations.
Six witnesses were called by EFCC prosecutors, who also presented 14 papers that were accepted as exhibits.
On November 1, 2022, the defendants presented their case, and Yusuf testified on behalf of the second T.M. Limited and herself.
Judge Okpe declared in his ruling that the prosecution had established its case against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
They were found guilty on every count, which resulted in sentences of 10 years in prison on charges one and two and concurrent sentences of 2 years in jail on counts three and four.
The court therefore mandated that the convicted parties pay N41 million ($298,000) in reparation to the notional complainant.
