Pension fraud: ICPC secures jail term for 68 year old man
A 68 year old man, Mr. Deemua Increase, has been convicted by Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, for using forged documents to get himself enrolled on the Rivers State Government pension payroll.
Mr. Increase was sentenced to a jail term of 1 month by Justice M. O. Opara with no option of fine after the accused pleaded guilty to the charge that had been preferred against him.
The accused had earlier been arraigned before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a 1-count charge bordering on fraudulent receipt of property which is contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 68 of the same Act.
Mr. Increase was accused of collecting pension payments from Rivers State Government using forged documents for 9 years before he was picked up by ICPC operatives during one of the pension verification exercises in Port Harcourt.
At his arraignment, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge because according to him, the weight of evidence garnered against him was overwhelming.
