Pastor’s Wife Jailed 2 yrs Over N4m Dud Cheque

An Asaba High Court, Tuesday, sentenced the wife of an Asaba-based pastor to two years imprisonment with hard labour for issuing a dud cheque worth N4 million to a bank where she obtained an overdraft facility. Convicted was Mrs. Esther Onekpe who is also the proprietress of Bukky J. Nursery and Primary School, Asaba. 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 will be dishonoured. she knew that there was 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” . Culled from Vanguard Newspaper