A federal high court, sitting in
Jalingo, Taraba, has ruled that the fraud case by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Sani Danladi, former acting governor of the
state, lacks merit.
Danladi, alongside Mark Useni, a
former speaker of the Taraba state house of assembly, and Joel Ikenya, former
minister of labour and productivity, were facing trial on a two-count charge
bordering on conspiracy and violation of financial regulations.
The (EFCC) had in 2017, accused
Danladi, currently the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Taraba, of allegedly collecting N450 million from ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, in the build-up to the 2015 general election.
All three men were discharged and
acquitted on Wednesday.
Stephen Pam, the presiding judge,
said the EFCC could not substantiate its evidence against the defendants and
urged the commission to desist from infringing on the rights of innocent
citizens.
He gave the anti-graft agency a
72-hour ultimatum to refund N228million to the defendants.
The sum was earlier paid to the
commission by the defendants.
“The prosecution did not provide
this court with concrete evidence to nail the defendants,” Pam ruled.
“The EFCC is hereby ordered to
refund the sum of N228m which the Commission received from the defendants.”
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