The Supreme Court has ordered the continuation of the trial of former Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons, Mustapha and Aminu Lamido, in the N1.35 billion corruption charges brought against them by the EFCC.
Justice Abubakar Umar, in a unanimous decision of a five-member panel of justices, held that the appeal by the EFCC against the Court of Appeal verdict was meritorious and sustained.
The Court of Appeal’s July 2023 judgment, which set the former governor free, was voided and set aside by the apex court.
The apex court ordered that Mr Lamido and his two sons return to the Federal High Court to defend themselves against the EFCC’s allegations.
It ordered that the EFCC revive the charges against the defendants so the Lamidos could enter their defence to the corruption charges.
Mr Lamido, his sons, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies, Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited, were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
They were arraigned on a 37-count amended charge, including money laundering and abuse of office.
The EFCC alleged that Mr Lamido, who governed Jigawa from 2007 to 2015, laundered N1.35 billion in kickbacks from contractors handling state government projects.
At the conclusion of the EFCC case, Mr Lamido and the other defendants filed a no-case submission, arguing that no prima facie case was established against them.
The Federal High Court, in a ruling, dismissed the no-case submission and held that the EFCC had supplied sufficient evidence requiring them to enter a defense.
The former governor took the case to the Court of Appeal, which, in July 2023, disagreed with the Federal High Court and dismissed the charges against the defendants.
Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, the EFCC filed an appeal at the apex court, asking it to uphold the ruling of the Federal High Court and remit the matter to the court for continuation of the trial.
EFCC submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law by discharging the defendants despite the evidence establishing a prima facie case against the former governor and his sons.
(NAN)
