Court registrar bags 10 year jail term for defrauding Bamaiyi

An Ikeja High Court on Monday sentenced Mrs Oluronke Rosolu, a court registrar, to 10 years imprisonment for defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd), of $330,000.

Trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, convicted Rosolu on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences brought against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

While sentencing Rosolu, Justice Lawal-Akapo said, “The representation that she never collected $330,000 from the complainant is deceptive, the accused could not provide a strong alibi for her whereabouts when the fraud occurred.

“I find the accused guilty as charged. As a registrar of the court, the accused should have been an image maker of the judiciary, but she acted in the contrary. She has to swallow her bitter pill, Justice Akapo said.

Continuing, Justice Akapo said; “On count one, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment and on count two, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment. Both sentences are to run concurrently.” He noted.

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On hearing her judgment, Roselu who was reported to have collapsed in the dock while the judge gave his verdict said in tears, “I do not know anything about the money, what is going to happen to my children.”

Counsel to Roselu, Mr Bamidele Ogundele, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, “My Lord, my client is a first-time offender without any criminal record and she has four children as dependants. My Lord, the society will not gain if her four children are abandoned without motherly care.

“She has been on suspension from the judiciary for over a year and she is retiring next year after 34 years of active service in the judiciary.” Ogundele added.

Mr E.E. Iheanacho, Counsel for the EFCC, however, requested that Rosolu should serve the maximum sentence.

He said, “The crime for which the accused is being charged carries a mandatory sentence of 10 years imprisonment. In the circumstance, we will be urging the court to sentence her accordingly.”

Reports say the convict, who was a former registrar to Justice Joseph Oyewole, was tried for aiding and abetting Mr Fred Ajudua, a one-time Lagos socialite to defraud Bamaiyi at Kirikiri Maximum Prisons between November 2004 and June 2005.

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