The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the trial of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and two of his sons, Mustapha and Aminu, over their alleged involvement in a ₦1.35 billion money laundering case.
In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Inyang Okoro set aside the judgment of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier discharged the defendants after striking out the charges against them.
The Supreme Court faulted the appellate court for terminating the case on technical grounds and consequently directed that the matter be returned to the Federal High Court for continuation of trial.
The judgment arose from two separate appeals, marked SC/CR/921/2023 and SC/CR/920/2023, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Lamido and his son, Mustapha.
Meanwhile, in a related decision, the Supreme Court upheld the confiscation of $40,000 in undeclared cash found on Lamido’s son, Aminu.
EFCC operatives had arrested Aminu on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while he was en route to Egypt, after he failed to declare the $40,000 cash in his possession. He had initially declared only the statutory $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service.
He was subsequently arraigned by the EFCC on a one-count charge of false declaration of foreign currency under the Money Laundering Act.
On July 12, 2015, the Federal High Court in Kano convicted Aminu and ordered the forfeiture of 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the Federal Government. The conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Kaduna on December 7, 2015.
Dissatisfied, Aminu approached the Supreme Court, but his appeal was dismissed on Friday.
Dip Connect Online News reports that the latest ruling clears the way for the resumption of trial against the former governor and his sons at the Federal High Court.
Elijah Adeyemi
