APPEAL COURT ACQUITS SANDA LAMURDE AGAIN
——affirms verdict of high court Yola
By Fidelis Jockthan
An Appeal Court in Yola, the Adamawa state Capital has affirmed the earlier verdict of the State High Court delivered by Justice Nathan Musa, acquitting former Finance Commissioner during Governor Bala Ngilari’s regime in 2015, Barrister Sanda Jonathan Lamurde of corruption charges as alleged in the suit by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.
Barr Sanda Jonathan Lamurde
The acquitted Sanda Jonathan Lamurde was arraigned before the High court by the prosecuting agency, the EFCC on March 24,2020 on 21-count charges bordering on Criminal breach of trust, forgery and using fake documents as genuine.
The then Justice Nathan stroke out the case for lack of actionable evidences and acquitted Barrister Sanda Lamurde.
However, the judgement was appealed to appellate court by the EFCC challenging the Judgement.
Justice Olabode Abimbola Adegbehingbe who led a 3-man Justices while delivering the judgement on the appeal said the appellant, EFCC did not prove any of the evidences in each of the three offences as instituted in the appeal and charged against the respondent,Sanda Lamurde not to speak of proving beyond reasonable doubt.
The Jurist buttress his judgement by adding that the EFCC cannot be be both the accuser and prosecutor of the matter before it obiter dicta.
He added that the said appellant did not prove any offence at the trial court and threw away the case in its entirety.
