The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday obtained the conviction of one Chimankpa Nwakuna, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice Lewis Algoa of the Federal High Court, Owerri, on a three-count charge that borders on possession of counterfeit currency.

Nwakuna was arrested sometime in January 2016 by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) Imo State Command upon a tip-off that the convict belongs to a syndicate that specialises in circulation of fake currency notes.

Upon the arrest of the convict when he attempted to buy some items from a supermarket with some of the currencies, a search was conducted on him where several other pieces of fake currency notes were found on him. He was subsequently handed over to EFCC for investigation and prosecution.‎

The convict who had alleged that one of his friends whom be lent some money paid him back with the fake currencies, pleaded guilty to all the three counts levelled against him, suddenly changed his plea from “guilty” to “not guilty” at the point where the prosecution counsel F.A.I Asemebo had applied that the facts be reviewed considering his plea.

Asemebo thereafter prayed that the charge be read all over again for the accused person to take his plea on record.‎

One of the prosecution witnesses from the Department of State Security Services was called. He corroborated the extra-judicial statements of the convicts that “the accused person admitted that fake N1000 (One Thousand Naira) notes amounting to N9000 (Nine Thousand Naira ) ‎was found on him”. The prosecution also tendered identified statement of the accused person, forensic analysis from CBN, 9 pieces of the fake currencies amongst others, which were admitted by the court.

Thereafter the trial judge found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each of the counts. The sentence is to run concurrently commencing from January 13, 2016.‎

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