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The Excessive Courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja has sentenced the chairperson of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa, to jail for contempt.
The Nation newspaper reported that the choose, Chizoba Oji, convicted Mr Bawa and ordered the Inspector of Basic of Police to place him in Kuje jail in Abuja for disobeying an earlier order of the court docket.
Ms Oji, based on the report, convicted and jailed Mr Bawa on 28 October in a ruling on an utility by a former Director of Operations on the Nigerian Air Pressure (NAF), Rufus Ojuawo.
The EFCC, on Tuesday, vowed to enchantment the ruling in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr Ojuawo, a retired air vice marshal (AVM), was beforehand prosecuted by the EFCC on corruption fees however was acquitted by one other choose of the FCT Excessive Courtroom.
In his utility levelling a cost of contempt in opposition to EFCC and its chairperson, Mr Ojuawo accused the company and its management of violating the court docket’s order issued on 21 November 2018 ordering them to return his seized Vary Rover (Tremendous cost) and N40 million to him.
The order has been subsisting for the reason that time of Ibrahim Magu because the performing chairperson of the EFCC. The fee continued to disobey the court docket order after Mr Bawa grew to become EFCC’s chairman in February 2021.
EFCC’s lawyer, Francis Jirbo, tried to justify EFCC’s failure to adjust to the court docket order in the course of the listening to of Mr Ojuawo’s utility.
However the choose rejected the lawyer’s arguments earlier than convicting Mr Bawa on 28 October.
Ms Oji then ordered the Inspector-Basic of Police to remand the contemnor in Kuje jail in Abuja.
“The Chairman Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee is in contempt of the orders of this honourable court docket made on November twenty first 2018 directing the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, Abuja to return to the applicant his Vary Rover (Tremendous cost) and the sum of N40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Naira).
“Having continued willfully in disobedience to the order of this court docket, he ought to be dedicated to jail at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience, and continued disobedience of the mentioned order of court docket made on November twenty first, 2018, till he purges himself of the contempt.
“The Inspector Basic of Police shall be sure that the order of this honourable court docket is executed forthwith,” the choose ordered within the licensed true copy of the ruling seen by The Nation on Tuesday.
The newspaper reported that Mr Ojuawo filed the appliance for Mr Bawa’s committal within the go well with marked FCT/HC/M/52/2021.
We’re interesting the ruling – EFCC
In the meantime, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s spokesperson says the anti-graft company will enchantment Mrs Oji’s ruling.
In a quick phone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Mr Uwujaren mentioned, “There isn’t a drawback about that, we’re interesting the ruling.”
Background
The anti-corruption company had arraigned Mr Ojuawo in 2016 on a two-count cost earlier than one other choose of the Nyanya, Abuja division of the FCT Excessive Courtroom, Muawiyah Idris.
The prosecution accused the previous army chief of corruptly receiving kickbacks to the tune of N40 million and a Vary Rover Sport (Supercharged) valued at N29.250 million from a contractor of the Nigerian Air Pressure – Hima Aboubakar of Societe D’Tools Internationaux Nigeria Restricted.
However the choose discharged Mr Ojuawo in a judgement delivered on 21 November 2018.
In dismissing the go well with, the choose held that EFCC didn’t show that Mr Ojuawo accepted the items whereas discharging his official duty as army chief, and that the items had been inducements or rewards.
“The defendant is discharged and acquitted on counts one and two of the cost,” Mr Idris declared.
Consequently, the choose mentioned, “…I maintain that the prosecution (EFCC) has didn’t show the 2 counts cost of corrupt gratification underneath S17 (1)(a) and (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Act, 2000.
“Consequently, the complainant (EFCC) is ordered to refund the defendant his N40,000,000 wrongly paid into ONSA restoration account and to return to the defendant his Vary Rover Sport (Supercharged) forthwith,” the choose mentioned.
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