By Oyinkansola Aremu
The Supreme Court has ordered the continuation of the trial of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and his two sons, Mustapha and Aminu, over alleged money laundering charges involving N1.35 billion. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Lamido and his sons with 37 counts of money laundering, alleging that they abused their positions as governor and siphoned funds from state government contracts between 2007 and 2015.
The trial had been ongoing at the Federal High Court in Abuja, but the defendants had filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence. However, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu dismissed the submission and ordered them to enter their defence. The defendants appealed the decision, and the Court of Appeal upheld their no-case submission, striking out the charges.
The EFCC appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which has now ruled that the trial should continue. The Supreme Court set aside the Court of Appeal’s judgment and affirmed the Federal High Court’s decision that Lamido and his co-defendants have a case to answer.
In a separate case, the Supreme Court also upheld the conviction of Aminu Lamido, Sule Lamido’s son, for failing to declare $40,000 at Kano airport. Aminu had been arrested in 2012 and convicted by the Federal High Court, with the Court of Appeal affirming the conviction .
The Supreme Court’s decision means that Sule Lamido, his sons, and other co-defendants will now have to defend themselves against the allegations. The EFCC has argued that the defendants have a case to answer and that the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence.The trial is expected to resume at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the defendants required to enter their defence.
