A panel of judges at the Supreme Court of Nigeria today quashed the conviction handed Bode George a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, who was earlier charged with corruption by Lagos court and imprisoned.
George was discharged and acquitted as the court stated that prosecutors at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had no evidence of Mr. George's intention to commit fraud at the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) where as chairman of the NPA board he was caught presiding over a contract bazaar the bled the nation of Nigeria.According to the judges, headed by a controversial judge, John Afolabi Fabiyi JSC, the charge of "contract splitting" upon which Mr. George was convicted is unknown to law.
The case of today's quashing of George's conviction resembled that of a Lagos Court of Appeal ruling which similarly quashed a death sentence conviction of Major Hamza Al Mustapha's for the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in 1996.
In Lagos, a panel of Court of Appeal cleared former Chief Security Officer of late maximum dictator, Sanni Abacha Mustapha of murder charges under controversial circumstances. After having been cleared Mustapha thanked President Jonathan for arranging his judicial pardon.
Interestingly, the case of Al Mustapha was lead by the same lawyer, former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Joseph B Daudu was Al Mustapha's lawyer in the Lagos case. Mr. Daudu contributed a lot to securing Mr. George's freedom today.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54223.html
George was discharged and acquitted as the court stated that prosecutors at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had no evidence of Mr. George's intention to commit fraud at the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) where as chairman of the NPA board he was caught presiding over a contract bazaar the bled the nation of Nigeria.According to the judges, headed by a controversial judge, John Afolabi Fabiyi JSC, the charge of "contract splitting" upon which Mr. George was convicted is unknown to law.
The case of today's quashing of George's conviction resembled that of a Lagos Court of Appeal ruling which similarly quashed a death sentence conviction of Major Hamza Al Mustapha's for the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in 1996.
In Lagos, a panel of Court of Appeal cleared former Chief Security Officer of late maximum dictator, Sanni Abacha Mustapha of murder charges under controversial circumstances. After having been cleared Mustapha thanked President Jonathan for arranging his judicial pardon.
Interestingly, the case of Al Mustapha was lead by the same lawyer, former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Joseph B Daudu was Al Mustapha's lawyer in the Lagos case. Mr. Daudu contributed a lot to securing Mr. George's freedom today.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54223.html
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