By Mujidat Oyewole
Ilorin – Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, on Tuesday returned the case of internet fraud involving 31-year-old Wale Oladoja to the court registrar to be re-assigned to another judge.
Oyinloye made the transfer on the request of the defendant’s counsel, Mr T. A. Amid, for sentence.
The judge ordered that Oladoja be returned to prison.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr Andrew Akoja, had filed an amended charge for plea bargain to enable the defendant to be convicted as agreed by the two parties.
Amid agreed but pleaded with the court to reduce the jail term to three months with an option of fine.
The judge, however, said that the offence attracts five years imprisonment as punishment with an option of a fine.
“The punishment for such offence is five years imprisonment and an option of fine, while the second alternative is both imprisonment and fine.
“However, in a circumstance when the term agreed by the parties are not accepted by the court, the court will inform parties, especially the defendant, that which the court found just,” he said.
Amid conferred with the defendant and transferred the case to another court for conviction.
The defendant is facing a six-count charge brought against him on March 28.
The prosecutor, Mr Nnaemeka Omewa, had told the court that sometime in March Oladoja of No. 10, Olusoji Street, Ogba, Lagos State, had the intention to defraud.
Omewa said the defendant had in his possession a document containing false pretence to wit: Hangout with Luca Ruggeri, Hangout with Sasa Amorusopro, and Hang out with Allen Perkias, Hangout with Singh Ranjeet.
He said that all the documents contained representation that the defendant knew to be false.
He said that Oladoja also had in his possession a document containing false document, titled “Google account”, with gmail account; liishabb1809@gmail.com andconnimichell8809@gmail.com.
It also has white Caucasian female pictures, a representation that the accused knew to be false.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the amended charge. (NAN)