Former Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Dr. Edna Mogekwu, has been sentenced to jail for refusing to honor invitations on allegations of corruption from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)

Mogekwu, who was sentenced to a two-year, one-month jail term, as well as three principal officers of the institution also convicted, were charged before Justice Marshal Umukoro of the Delta State High Court, Asaba by ICPC over their failure to appear before investigators to clear themselves of allegations of corruption.

ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement yesterday, said principal officers convicted alongside the rector were former registrar, Collins Onyenwenu; a former bursar, Andy Ughusuena and a former Director of Works of the Polytechnic, Joseph Idabor.

ICPC had earlier filed a five-count charge against the convicts before Justice Umukoro, in which it accused them of repeatedly refusing to honor invitations from the Commission.

ICPC counsel, Ogochukwu Iwoba, had told the court that the rector and her accomplices, who were under investigation for acts of corruption by the commission, failed to appear for interrogations when they were required.

The offenses allegedly committed in 2015 consists of their refusal to honor an order to produce documents required by investigators of the Commission, contrary to Section 28 (1) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 28 (10) of the same Act.

Justice Umukoro, at the conclusion of the trial, found them guilty on four out of five counts and therefore sentenced the trio of the registrar, bursar, and director of works to one-month imprisonment accordingly.

The rector was found guilty on counts one, two, and three out of the five counts by the court. Justice Umukoro ruled that she would therefore serve one-year imprisonment for counts two and three and a one-month jail term for counts one. The sentences will run concurrently, the court ruled.