The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), has decided that it will pursue an appeal in a higher court against last week’s decision of a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja which acquitted a former Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.
In a statement, the commission expressed dismay at two separate court losses it suffered last Friday, the other being the Supreme Court acquittal of the former Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Olabode Goerge and five others.
“Without going into the merit or otherwise of the Supreme court ruling, it is unfortunate that the apex court disagreed with the decision of the two lower courts—the Lagos High Court and the Court of Appeal—which upheld the conviction of the accused persons based on the evidence presented by the Commission,” the statement said.
“While this turn of event is saddening, the Commission as a law abiding institution always respected judicial pronouncements and this will be no different.”
It described the decision of Justice Sadiq Umar that the Commission failed to establish a prima facie case against El-Rufai as being “against the weight of the evidence” it had presented to the court.
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