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CaseLaw

Ehindero V. FRN (2017) CLR 12(i) (SC)

Judgement delivered on December 15th 2017

Brief

  • Substantive suit
  • Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000)
  • ICPC
  • Prima facie case
  • Federal High court Jurisdiction
  • Interpretation of statutes
  • Section 6(a) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000
  • Section 26(2) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000
  • Section 61(1) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000
  • Section 131(1) of the Evidence Act, 2011
  • Section 26(1) (c) of the ICPC Act
  • Section 19 of the ICPC Act
  • Section 25(1) (a) of the ICPC Act
  • Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 251 (3) of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 251(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 257(1) of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 257 of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 257(7) of the 1999 Constitution
  • Section 286(1)(b) of the Constitution

Facts

At the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory the appellant and one other are defending a 6-count charge alleging conspiracy to criminally convert public funds and criminal conversion of public funds totalling N16,412,315.00 being interests generated from two fixed deposit accounts.

The Bayelsa State Government made a donation of N557,995,065.00 to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), at the time the appellant was the Inspector General of Police, to enable the NPF purchase equipment for proper policing of Bayelsa State. It appears from the summary of the statement of Olayinka Ayegbayo, an investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC), that the appellant and the 2nd Accused had agreed to place and did place N300,000,000.00 and N200,000,000.00 into fixed deposits respectively at Wema Bank Plc and Intercontinental Bank Plc. The two fixed deposits allegedly netted a total of N16,412,315.56 as interests. Mr. Ayegbayo, listed as a witness in the proofs of evidence, would, at the trial, testify inter alia that: when the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria directed the appellant to transfer the money donated by the Bayelsa State to the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs to make the necessary purchases for the Police, the appellant delayed his compliance with the presidential directive until after the maturity of the fixed deposits. When in November 2006, the appellant caused the principal sum donated by the Bayelsa State Government to be transferred to the Ministry of Police Affairs the interests earned from the fixed deposits were not transferred with the principal sum. It is alleged that the appellant and his co-accused conspired and criminally converted the said interests totalling N16,412,315.56 to their personal use. The conversion of this sum forms the crux of the 6 charges the appellant and the co-accused are defending at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

The prosecution has listed Mr. Ayegbayo and three bank managers to testify at the trial. The summary of the proposed evidence is attached to the proofs of evidence. The list of Exhibits to be tendered together with the extra judicial statements of the accused persons, the appellant's inclusive, are also included in the proofs of evidence.

On 6th June, 2012, the appellant filed a motion on notice, by way of preliminary objection, wherein he prayed the trial Court for the following orders-

  • 1
    AN ORDER of this Court dismissing and/or striking out the amended charge for want of jurisdiction.
  • 2
    AN ORDER of this Honourable Court quashing the amended charge against the Accused/applicant for want of competency.
  • 3
    AN ORDER of this Honourable Court debarring Mr. Paul Ahmed Bassi or any official of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission from prosecuting the 1st Accused/Applicant, they having no constitutional power to do so, OR
  • 4
    AN ORDER of this Honourable Court setting aside its order of 31st May, 2012 granting leave to the complainant/Respondent to prefer charge No. FCT/HC/CR/92/12 against the Accused/Applicant.

The trial FCT High Court (Coram: M.N. Oniyangi, J) heard the application on 21st September, 2012. In the reserved ruling delivered on 21st September, 2012, the learned trial judge dismissed the application in its entirety. The appellant's appeal against the decision of the trial Court was also dismissed by the Court of Appeal sitting at Abuja on 14th January, 2014. The lead judgment of A. A. Adumein, JCA was unanimously concurred by A.D. Yahaya and T. Akomolafe-Wilson, JJCA. This further appeal is against the order of the lower Court dismissing the appeal No.CA/A/S51C/2012.

Issues

  • 1.
    Whether the High Court of the FCT has the requisite jurisdiction to try the...
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