Update:
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Friday heaved a sigh of relief as he was given a clean bill in a 16-count charge bordering on contract inflation and fraudulent embezzlement of public funds totaling N874 million brought against him by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is as a Federal High Court in Abuja , presided over by Justice Evoh Stephen Chukwu , which heard the case discharged and acquitted him of any complicity in the matter.
An Abuja High Court had ealier discharged and acquitted Bankole of charges bordering on breach of trust and illegally obtaining loan of about N9 billion for the House of Representatives while he was the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In his ruling on Friday, Justice Chukwu held that based on the testimonies of the six witnesses called by the prosecution, no wrong doing could be imputed into the processes leading to the award of the said contracts to justify the arraignment of the former speaker.
Ruling on a no-case submission by Bankole, Justice Chukwu held that the prosecution “failed woefully” to establish a prima facie case against the former Speaker to warrant his being called to enter defence in the N874million contract fraud charge .
The judge said the prosecution, led by human right activist, Festus Keyamo, failed to prove the essential ingredients of the crimes to justify the charge that Bankole colluded with others as covered by counts 3, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 14 of the charge.
He explained that collusion connoted an agreement to commit a crime and found that the evidence led by the prosecution witnesses did not show that there was collusion through their testimonies.
“From the totality of the testimonies of the six witnesses, nothing shows any act of collussion on the part of the accused person.
“Nothing shows that he interfered with the process of the award of the contracts. No mention about anybody fronting for him was made by the prosecution witnesses and the process was also said to have complied with the requirements.
“Based on the totality of these witnesses testimonies, I hold that there is nothing to justify his being called to enter his defence as none of the essential ingredients have been proved by the prosecution,” the judge said.
He also held that where the prosecution had not proved the essential ingredients of the offences charged, the court will be engaging in inquisitorial trial should it insist that the accused must prove its innocence.
He said under the nation’s adversarial criminal procedure, it was for the prosecution to prove it’s case against the accused and not the other way round.
“In the end, the no-case submission of the accused person succeeds. The accused is hereby discharged and acquitted,” the judge held.
The court therefore discharged and acquitted the formers speaker of all the charges and upheld the no case submission pleaded by his lead counsel, Chief Olawale Akoni, SAN
Our Previous Report:
SAN FRANCISCO, February 14, (THEWILL) –Â A Federal High Court in Abuja Friday quashed all criminal charges leveled against a former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged the politician in a high profile case bordering on money laundering, contract inflation and fraud.
Details soon…
