N14.5m fraud: House of Assembly staff sentenced to two years in jail

<p>A staff of the Delta State House of Assembly, John Adjeke Akpoghene, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment over N14.5 million salary fraud.</p>, <p>Akpoghene was charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the Delta State High Court, Asaba.</p>, <p>ICPC had, in a one-count charge before Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro of the Delta State High Court Asaba, accused the convict of receiving double salary from the Delta State House of Assembly and Ughelli South Local Government Area.</p>, <p>Counsel to ICPC, Mrs S. Chibuzor, had told the court that the convict fraudulently received the total sum of N14,525,550 as double salary over a period of four years from the state assembly and the local government council.</p>, <p>He committed the offence while working as a state civil servant and a supervisory councillor with Ughelli South Local Government Area simultaneously.</p>, <p>In his defence, Akpoghene argued that he was unaware that it was a crime to have two government jobs and receive salaries from both at the same time.</p>, <p>Justice Marshall-Umokoro, in his ruling, sentenced him to two years imprisonment. He was also given the option of paying a fine of N500,000.</p>, <p>The judge further ruled that the convict continues to make the necessary monthly refunds to the House of Assembly Service Commission.</p>