A Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Ijeoma Ojukwu has dismissed the no-case submission filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido in a fraud-related case brought against him and some others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC has dragged Lamido and the other defendants to court over an alleged ₦712 million money-laundering case, Applesbite reports.
The anti-graft commission accused him of using his position while still serving as the Jigawa State Governor in 2008 to illegally obtain gratification.
Other defendants in the case include two of Lamido’s sons, Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido.
Others are a business associate of the Lamidos, Aminu Abubakar and four companies – Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited, Speeds International Limited – and Batholomew Darlington Agoha.
The defendants are facing 37 amended charges.
Our Mandate is to Collect Taxes, Not To Grant Tax Waivers To Taxpayers – FIRS
However, Lamido had filed a no-case submission arguing through his lawyers that the evidence provided by the prosecution did not disclose any case against him.
But delivering a ruling on the submission by the former Governor, Justice Ojukwu, on Monday, dismissed the no-case submission filed by Lamido.
The judge also ordered him to open his defence on November 8.
Count one of the charges reads: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), on or about 15th of December,2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court in your account in the name of Bamaina Holdings (also referred to as Bamaina Holding Limited) domiciled at Unity Bank Plc. Kano, converted the sum of N14,850,000.00 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) being the value of Intercontinental Bank Plc. (now Access Bank Plc) cheque no. 00000025 paid by Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which represented the proceeds of your illegal act to wit: using your position as a public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for companies in which you have interest from Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which was awarded contracts by Jigawa State Government with the aim of concealing its illicit origin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act.”
