Two erstwhile employees of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank) have been jailed 43 years for stealing the sum N9.7 million from their employer by forgery.

Justice Dije Abdu Aboki of the Kano State High Court on Thursday convicted and sentenced Bright Evobai and Okechukwu Okolo for allegedly using stolen letterhead papers belonging to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano and forging the signatures of four designated signatories, including one of their superiors at the bank, to siphon fund from the hospital’s fixed deposit account.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which arraigned them on November 27, 2012 on an eight count charge, said in an attempt to cover up their track, the accused persons distributed the proceeds of their crime into five different accounts within the branch.

When the charges were read to them, they both pleaded not guilty.

However, in the course of trial, the prosecution called five witnesses to prove its case.

Justice Aboki, thus, found the accused guilty as charged and sentenced them to 7 years imprisonment on counts 1,2,3,4,5,6 with no option of fine while they are to serve six months imprisonment each on counts seven and eight with an option N50,000 and N20, 000 respectively.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The convicts were also ordered to pay back the N9.7million to the bank as restitution.