FG loses again as A’Court quashes Orubebe’s conviction at CCT, acquits him

The Federal Government has lost another high profile case as a Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday, set a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe free from a corruption case brought against him.

Orubebe triumphed at the court as the Court set aside his conviction by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Orubebe was on October 4, 2016, convicted by the CCT, after the tribunal found him guilty of not declaring his property at Plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja, in any of his asset declaration forms he completed as minister.

Consequently, the Danladi Umar-led tribunal ordered in its judgment that Orubebe should forfeit the property in question to the Federal Government.

However, when the case came up before the appellant court on Wednesday, a three-man panel of the court held that CCT goofed to have convicted Orubebe since the property he was accused of not declaring had already been sold.

Read also: Senate mandates Buhari to submit 2014 confab report

Reading the lead judgment of the court, Justice Abdu Aboki, faulted the CCT’s verdict and subsequently discharged and acquitted Orubebe

An Abuja High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja had also early April, 2017, struck out a six-count charge preferred against Orubebe by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) over his alleged complicity in a N1.97 billion contract fraud.

 

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