by ‘Jola Sotubo

A pastor’s wife in Delta has been condemned to spend 2 years in prison after she was found guilty of issuing a dud cheque.

Mrs. Esther Onekpe, the proprietress of Bukky J. Nursery and Primary School in Asaba, the state capital, was sentenced by a high court in the same area for issuing the N4 million cheque.

Mrs. Onekpe is said to have issued the cheque in an attempt to pay back a loan granted to her by a bank.

Vanguard reports:

Prosecution stated that Mrs. Onekpe, aged 38 years, had on October 8, 2012 at Asaba within the Asaba judicial division issued a Wema Bank cheque NO 1182114718 of N4 million to UBA Plc which was dishonoured when presented on account of insufficient fund in the account and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(b) of the dishonoured cheque (offences) Act Cap D11, Volume 5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

It further told the court that the woman obtained an overdraft of N4million from the Asaba branch of the United Bank of Africa (UBA) PLC but instead diverted into another purpose of which the loan was obtained and in trying to pay back, according to prosecution, a dud cheque was issued.

In sentencing her, the court ruled that “she knew that the cheque when presented would be dishonoured. she knew that there were insufficient funds in her Wema bank account. I therefore hold that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt essential ingredients of the offence. I hereby convict the accused accordingly” .