A former Oyo State Court Registrar (ex-Chief Magistrate) already serving a term of imprisonment, has been sentenced to a fresh three years in prison over issuance of a dud cheque.
The EFCC on Friday February 12, secured the conviction of a former Deputy Chief Registrar of the Oyo State High Court, Mutiat Omobola Adio.
She was convicted after pleading guilty to a fresh charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense and issuance of Dishonored Cheque contrary to Sections 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000and Section 1 (1) (b) of the Dishonored Cheque (Offences) Act, Cap. D11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004
Adio is alleged to have obtained a 2000 Model Toyota Pathfinder SUV valued at N1, 500,000 (One Million and Five Hundred Thousand Naira) from one Fabunmi Olatunji Samuel of Fatai Olanrewaju Motors by pretending to him that it would be paid once the cheque she issued him in the said value is presented to her bank. The victim released the said vehicle to her but the cheque was dishonoured within three months of issuance for insufficient funds in the account.
Upon arraignment on January 30, 2018, the defendant had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later changed her plea to ‘guilty’, after a plea bargain agreement was struck leading to the amendment of the charge.
According to EFCC, Justice Owolabi pronounced the defendant guilty of the offence, and sentenced her to three years in prison on Friday.
The Court also ordered her to restitute to her victim one Fabunmi Olatunji Samuel of Fatai Olanrewaju Motors the sum of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in addition to the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira) she had previously paid in restitution of the victim.
With the new jail term, Adio has now completed a hattrick of convictions having previously been jailed twice for fraud.
On May 18, 2018, she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for obtaining N9.2 million from one Abiodun Olonade, a Nigerian resident in Ireland, by false pretence
Also, on March 6, 2020, she was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for stealing a sum of N22,375,913 (Twenty-Two Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirteen Naira), from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.