ONYEKACHI AJA OTISI, JCA (Delivering the Leading Judgment): This Appeal is against the Judgment of High Court of Lagos State, coram S.A. Onigbanjo, J., sitting in the Ikeja Division delivered on July 8, 2013 in charge No. ID/75C/2009 in which the Appellant was convicted and sentenced for offences of obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and uttering.
The facts leading to the charges against the Appellant are as follows: A committee was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria comprising of some Federal Ministries and parastatals including the Economic and Financial crimes commission (EFCC), with a view to pay the pensions and gratuities of persons thereunder. The mandate of EFCC on the committee was to ensure that the right beneficiaries were paid their entitlements upon presentation of the correct prescribed documents, which documents included Letters of Administration, where necessary. In the course of screening, one Abayomi Adeoti and one Gbenga Ogunronbi presented Letters …