Former Yellowknife imam gets 33 months for fraud

A trusted member of Yellowknife's Muslim community is heading to prison.

Mohammed Basha is aformer president and imam of the city's Islamic Centre.

He was sentenced this morning for defrauding the centre of more than $117,000.

Over a two-year period, Basha took money that was supposed to go to a new mosque.

The 51-year-old also defrauded a fellow City Cab taxi driver of $15,000.

The judge sentenced Basha to 33 months in prison, and ordered him to pay back the $132,000.

The new imam of the Islamic Centre says the incident has destroyed their community.