Appeal Court upholds INEC official’s conviction for receiving Diezani’s N362m bribe

The Court of Appeal, Yola, Adamawa State, has upheld the conviction of a former electoral officer with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Ibrahim Mohammed Umar.

The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Justice Nathan Musa of the Adamawa State High Court had in December 2019 sentenced Umar and one Sahabo Iya-Hamman to seven years imprisonment for receiving a N362 million bribe from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, ahead of the 2015 general election.

The statement read: “Umar and his accomplice had earlier been convicted on a three-count charge by an Adamawa State High Court and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for receiving monetary benefit (bribery) to the tune of N362 million, being part of the bribe allegedly distributed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke to influence the outcome of the 2015 elections.

READ ALSO: EFCC recovers $153m, 80 assets from ex-Petroleum Minister, Diezani

“Umar was arraigned alongside a former staff of a new generation bank by the EFCC on September 28, 2018. During the trial, EFCC called 14 witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted in evidence. Justice Nathan Musa, in his judgment, held that EFCC proved its case beyond reasonable doubt as investigation proved that the convict was identified as the person who signed and collected the said sum and was unable to account for its whereabouts.

“He was therefore convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine on all the counts.

“Dissatisfied with the judgment, the convict approached the Court of Appeal, Yola Division, on March 4, 2020, asking that the judgment of the lower court be set aside.

“The appellate court on April 14, 2021, delivered its judgment, wherein it unanimously affirmed the judgment of the lower court.”

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