The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of Abdu Bulama, former minister of science and technology, who was tried on money laundering allegations.
Bulama, who was the coordinator of former President Goodluck Jonathan campaign organisation for the 2015 general election, was first arraigned in 2018 alongside Mohammed Kadai, a former commissioner for integrated and rural development in Yobe state; Abba Gana Tata; Muhammad Mamu, and Hassan Ibn Jaks, on a seven-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N450 million.
According to the EFCC, “investigation showed that Bulama and his co-defendants partook in the disbursement of huge sums of money in the build-up to the 2015 general election, without going through a financial institution.”
However, in the judgment delivered on February 18, 2020, Hammada Isa Dashen, judge of a federal high court in Damaturu, Yobe state, discharged and acquitted all five defendants.
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The judge held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facia case against the defendants to warrant the opening of defence.
In a statement on Tuesday, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesperson, said the commission has approached the court of appeal to upturn the trial court’s verdict.
In its notice of appeal, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, EFCC counsel, argued that the trial judge erred in law in the judgement.
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“The ruling of the lower court delivered by Justice Dashen is a miscarriage of justice, because of the failure of the trial court to properly evaluate the evidences brought before the court against the defendants,” Ahmed noted.
“My lords, we submit that the commission has placed sufficient evidence and therefore urge the justices of the appeal court to overrule the lower court by dismissing the ‘no case submission’ as groundless, baseless and a deliberate attempt to delay the trial.”
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