By Adesina Soyooye
The nightmare is over for the former Senator representing Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi.
Convicted and jailed after what seen as a successful prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, mother- luck shone on him Friday when the Supreme Court ordered that he be released from jail immediately.
While quashing Nwaoboshi’s conviction over an allegation of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N805 million against him and two Companies- Golden Touch Construction Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd – the Supreme Court slamned the EFCC over what it described as the malicious prosecution of the Senator and the Companies on offences unknown in law.
It, therefore, in a split decision of 4-1, ordered the immediate release of Nwaoboshi from the Ikoyi Correctional Centre where he was serving a seven- year jail term for alleged fraud and money laundering.
The Supreme Court set aside the July 1, 2022 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which overturned their discharge and acquittal by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
In the lead judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the Supreme Court held that Nwaoboshi and the two companies “were unjustly and maliciously prosecuted by the EFCC for committing no offences known to law.”
It slammed the anti-graft Agency for “subjecting them to needless criminal trial in relation to civil transaction.”
Recall that the EFCC had accused Nwaoboshi and his companies of illegally acquiring a property – Guinea House on Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos – for N805 million. The property, the EFCC revealed, belong to the Delta State Government.
It was claimed by the EFCC that part of the money paid for the property “was transferred by Suiming Electrical Ltd. on behalf of Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd, and insisted that “the funds are products of their fraudulent activities.”
Senator Nwaoboshi was the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
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