The Supreme Court has ordered the continuation of the trial in the case involving Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state, over money laundering allegations worth N1.35 billion.
Delivering judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the
apex court quashed the verdict of the court of appeal which upheld the no-case
submission of the ex-governor and his co-defendants.
In the lead judgments of the Supreme Court, Abubakar Umar
set aside the July 25, 2023, verdicts of the appellate court and affirmed the
earlier decision by Ijeoma Ojukwu, judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja,
which overruled the no-case submissions by Lamido and others and ordered them to
enter their defence.
BACKGROUND
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged
Lamido and two of his sons – Aminu and Mustapha — in 2015.
They were facing 37 amended charges bordering on money
laundering.
Other defendants in the case are Aminu Abubakar, business
associate to the former governor, and four companies – Bamaina Company Nigeria
Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited, Speeds International Limited and Batholomew
Darlington Agoha.
The anti-graft agency had called 16 witnesses before closing
its case in 2022.
Rather than open their defence, the defendants filed a
no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had not placed sufficient
materials before the court.
The no-case submission was dismissed on September 20, 2022, by Ijeoma Ojukwu, the presiding judge, who ordered the defendants to open their
case.
However, the defendants appealed the ruling.
The appellate court, led by Adamu Waziri, had held that the
trial court ought not to have heard the suit since the offence committed was
not within its jurisdiction.
The appeal court held that the case should have been filed
in Jigawa state, where the offences were allegedly committed.
He, therefore, discharged the former governor and his sons.
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