By Chioma Iruke
Mohammed Bashirhas, a 62-year-old retired judge, has pleaded guilty to defrauding a man of N730,000 in Adamawa state.
In the charge read to the accused, he was alleged to have sold three plots of land with sizes 100 x50, 160×50 and 70×30, at the sum of N300, 000, N300, 000 and N60, 000 respectively to the complainant and also collected N70,000 for documents from him, totalling N730, 000.
It added that the complainant, who resides at Rhumde Baru Jambutu in the Yola North Local Government Area, later discovered that the said plots of land, situated behind Airforce Comprehensive School, were not the property of the defendant; hence, his complaint before the court.
When asked whether the allegation levelled against him was true, the former judge pleaded guilty.
Thereafter, the presiding judge ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.
He was, however, granted bail in the sum of N350,000 but required to also produce a surety with landed property worth N400, 000.
A criminal Area Court II, presided by Nuhu Musa Garta, ordered the remand of Bashir in prison and the case was adjourned to August 27, 2021.
Garta issued the order when the former judge, who was accused of cheating one Bappa Alhaji Lawan of the sum of N730, 000, was arraigned before the court.
The former judge, who is standing trial for cheating contrary to Section 313 of the Penal Code Law, was the Gombi Area Court Judge in the Gombi Local Government Area before his retirement 3 years ago.
