Appeal Court frees Dokpesi, firm in N2.1bn arms deal

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted a PDP chieftain, Chief Raymond Dokpesi of corruption allegations against him and his company in a case bordering on procurement fraud and breach of public trust.

He was alleged to have received N2.1 billion from the Office of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), between October 2014 and March 2015 for services not rendered.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, discharged and acquitted politician and media owner, Raymond Dokpesi and his company, Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, of charges of money laundering and breach of Procurement Act.

The charges was in relation to the disbursement of the N2.1 billion meant for arms purchase, when Col Sambo Dasuki was the National Security Adviser (NSA) in 2014, under President Goodluck Jonathan.

READ ALSO: Appeal Court frees Dokpesi, firm in N2.1bn arms deal

In two unanimous judgments, a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the two appeals by Dokpesi and Daar Investment, and set aside an earlier ruling of a Federal High Court, in Abuja, which rejected the no-case submissions made by the appellants.

Reading the judgments, Justice Elfreda Wiialims-Daudu held that the prosecution did not make out a prima facie case against the appellants and did not also establish the elements of the offences charge to warrant the appellants to be called upon to enter defence.

Dokpesi and Daar Investment were being tried before the Federal High Court on a seven-count charge of money laundering and breach of Procurement Act by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

At the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, after calling 14 witnesses, Dokpesi and his firm made no-case submissions, which Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a ruling on November 24, 2018 rejected and ordered them to enter their defence, a decision Dokpesi and Daar Investment appealed.

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