Categories: News

EFCC: Two Whitleblowers Convicted Over False Information

EFCC Operative

Two whistleblowers Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso Igweonu has been sent to prison for providing false information to the EFCC.

The two whistle-blowers are sentenced to 2-months jail term with an option of N100,000 each by Justice I. M. Sani.

The anti-graft agency announced the ddevelopment in a statement via @officialEFCC, its official Twitter handle on Monday.

The convicts arraignment was sequel to disclosure they made to EFCC about a huge sum of money stashed in a house, located at Enu-Aqua in Cross River State.

However, operatives of the anti-graft agency said the information turned out to be false as nothing incriminating was found when they instituted a search on the property.

The whistle-blowing policy is an anti-corruption programme was introduced by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2016.

The policy, which provides maximum security for whistleblowers, encourages people to voluntarily provide information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, and other forms of corruption or theft in government parastatals.

In the two-count charges brought before the court, the anti-graft agency accused the two whistleblowers of conspiring to provide false information.

“That you Dominic Okem and Chukwunonso Igweonu on or about the 22nd Day of January, 2021 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did conspire between yourselves to give false information to officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to wit: huge fund were found at Enu/Akwu Street, Federal Housing Estate, in Calabar Cross Rivers State which information turned out to be false, untrue/misleading and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 39 (2) (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004,” one of the charges read.

The defence counsel however pleaded with the court to serve the defendants a light sentence as they were only trying to carry out their civic responsibility in line with the whistleblowing policy.

EFCC

They were convicted and sentenced after they pleaded guilty to two-count charges bordering on giving false information.

Following their “guilty” plea, F. O. Amama the prosecution counsel prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

In his judgment, Justice Sani found Messrs Okem and Igweonu guilty as charged and convicted and sentenced them to two months imprisonment, with an option of fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) each.