By Innocent Anaba
Former Lagos Island Local Government Area Chairman, Mr. Lukman Ajose, who was sentenced to two years imprisonment for enriching himself by fraudulently converting money belonging to the council by a Lagos State High Court, yesterday, lost his appeal before the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos.

Ajose was found guilty by Justice Joseph Oyewole for defrauding the council to the tune of N4.4 million by claiming to have attended several seminars and training outside Lagos, which were found out latter to be false.

The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgement, held that Ajose’s appeal lacked merit and dismissed same.

Justice John Okoro in his lead judgement, said that the appellant had an unstable witness and that the lower court judge was very careful in his judgment.

According to the court, “on counts 1, 2, 5, 6, both the payment vouchers and the cheques were tendered at the lower court. Even though he (appellant) did not sign the payment voucher, he collected the cheques.”

There is no reason why he should be discharged on those counts he was convicted. The appeal lacks merit and thereby dismissed. The sentence passed on the appellant is hereby affirmed.”

Ajose, who defected to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP from Alliance for Democracy, was arraigned in 2007 by Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, on a six_count charge of “using his office to confer corrupt advantage contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.”

He was found guilty on four out of the six_count charge against him.