An official of the Delta State House of Assembly, John Adjeke Akpoghene,has been sentenced to a two-year imprisonment for his involvement in a salary fraud amounting to N14.5 million.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pursued th legal action against Akpoghene, leading to his trial before the Delta State High Court in Asaba, the state capital.
Akpoghene, who held a position both as a state civil servant and a supervisory councillor with Ughelli South Local Government Area, was accused by the ICPC of receiving duplicate salary payments from both the Delta Assembly and the local government council.
The one-count charge presented by ICPC’s counsel, S. Chibuzor, revealed that Akpoghene illicitly obtained N14,525,550 in double salary over a span of four years.
During the court proceedings, Akpoghene defended himself by asserting his ignorance regarding the illegality of holding two government positions simultaneously and receiving salaries for both roles.
Presiding over the case, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro found Akpoghene guilty and imposed a two-year prison sentence upon him.
Additionally, Akpoghene was offered an alternative to pay a fine of N500,000. Furthermore, the judge ruled that the convicted individual is obligated to make monthly restitutions to the Delta State House of Assembly Service Commission as part of his sentence.
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