Again, a senior INEC official gets six-year jail term over N45m Diezani bribe

A Deputy Director of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Auwal Jibrin, has been sentenced to a six-year jail term for receiving bribe of N45 million from a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the run-up to the 2015 presidential election.

Jibrin was committed to the jail term by Justice Yusuf Birnin-Kudu of Jigawa State High Court sitting in Gumel after he was found guilty of unlawful enrichment and gratification.

He was convicted along with one Garba Ismaila, who was sentenced to seven years in jail for benefiting from the $115.010 million Diezani largesse.

The sentencing of the two men happened on Friday, but its details was made public in a statement the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC’s) acting spokesman, Tony Orilade, released on Sunday in Abuja on Sunday.

The two men were sentenced on Friday following their prosecution by the EFCC Kano zonal office.

According Orilade, the two convicts received N45 million out of the N250 million disbursed in Jigawa State to influence the outcome of the 2015 elections.

When they were charged, the convicts had pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all the charges leveled against them. The EFCC had during their trial presented five witnesses and tendered 20 exhibits against them.

In his final ruling on the matter, Justice Birnin-Kudu held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt “all the elements and facts of the case as contained in the charge and the testimonies of prosecution witnesses and exhibits tendered.”

The trial judge further said that the defence team was unable to counter the evidence presented by the prosecution through its witnesses.

The court thus found the first defendant guilty as charged on count two, while the second defendant was found guilty on counts one and three.

The court, however, discharged them on counts four, five and six.

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The judge further ordered the final forfeiture of the recovered monies and property attached to the investigation with the exception of a three-bedroom flat attached at No. 1 Hadejia Road, Birnin Kudu , Jigawa State.

Recall that an INEC ex-administrative secretary, Christian Nwosu, was earlier this year also sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting bribe offered by Diezani Alison-Madueke.

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