ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
The lawyer, Imo Akpan

The lawyer, Imo Akpan

Court acquits lawyer of fraud

From the court judgement, it is apparent that the EFCC did a shoddy job in their investigation.

byCletus Ukpong
March 14, 2021
3 min read

A state High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has discharged and acquitted a lawyer of fraud.

The lawyer, Imo Akpan, was arrested in 2015 by some operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was handcuffed and taken from Uyo to Lagos in a commercial flight.

The EFCC later, in 2015, arraigned Mr Akpan, in a well-publicised case, on a two-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence and stealing, which the judge, Archibong Archibong, said the anti-graft agency was unable to prove.

PREMIUM TIMES has just received a copy of the court judgement delivered on January 20, 2021.

Mr Akpan was accused of collecting N20 million in an alleged sale of a filling station in Uyo in 2012 and converting the money to his own use.

According to the EFCC, the filling station was owned by Triple Tower Petroleum Resources Ltd, a business firm that belongs to the defendant’s uncle, whom the agency said went to the filling station and drove away the new buyers – Goodworks Associated Services Ltd – and told them he never authorised the defendant to sell the filling station.

Goodworks Associated Services Ltd allegedly paid the N20 million as a down payment for the purchase of the filling station said to have been priced at N35 million.

The company was yet to pay the balance of the money.

The EFCC called five witnesses and tendered some documents in the trial. The defendant did not call any witness.

The EFCC operative, who investigated the case, for instance, admitted to the court, during cross examination by the defence lawyer, Fidel Albert, that he did not extend his investigation to the Triple Tower Petroleum Resources Ltd, the owners of the filling station, even when the anti-graft agency accused the lawyer of falsely claiming to represent the firm in the alleged sale of the filling station.

1X Bet AD

The operative also admitted to the court that if Triple Tower Petroleum Resources Ltd actually authorised the defendant to sell the filling station, then it would not have been proper to say he acted under false pretence, which the EFCC charged him for.

Interestingly, the EFCC was in possession of a board resolution by Triple Tower Petroleum Resources Ltd, authorising the defendant, Mr Akpan, to dispose of the filling station to enable the firm pay off a bank loan, and yet the agency failed to verify if the document was genuine or not.

“Having not proved that Exhibit H (the board resolution) was false, one wonders how the EFCC came to the conclusion that the defendant was not appointed by Triple Tower Petroleum Resources Ltd as its agent in the sale of its said filling station,” Justice Archibong said in his ruling.

The court said the defendant’s confessional statement presented by the EFCC was obtained under duress and, therefore, was rejected as an exhibit in the trial.

During cross examination, Kufre Nelson, the EFCC star witness and the man who filed the complaint that brought about the charge, denied that he was the owner of the N20 million.

“With the failure to prove that very important ingredient of the offence of obtaining by false pretence as the defendant stands charged before this court, the other ingredients automatically failed also.

“Specifically, from the totality of the evidence of the prosecution in this case it has not been shown that the defendant obtained the sum of N20 million from Kufre Nelson, rather it is shown that the money was paid by Goodworks Associated Services Ltd, and Goodworks Associated Services Ltd has not complained that the defendant obtained money from it under any false pretence,” the judge held.

Continuing, the judge said, “On the whole and in the light of the totality of the evidence adduced by the prosecution in this case, it is very clear and beyond dispute that the prosecution has failed to prove its case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt, as required of it by law.

“For that reason, therefore, this charge fails in its entirety, it is dismissed and the defendant is found not guilty as charged and he is accordingly discharged and acquitted in counts I and II of the charge against him.”

Usman Shehu prosecuted the case on behalf of the EFCC.

The defendant’s lawyer, Mr Albert, told PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday, “We decided that their case was too weak that it can’t fly, so we refused to call any witness.

“In fact, we rested our case on the case of the prosecution which was a very risky thing. We were very confident, and at the end of it the court agreed with us.

“Not that they didn’t have evidence, all the evidence they tendered and the witnesses, under cross examination, exonerated Imo (the defendant),” he said.

Advertisements



Defendant speaks

The defendant, Mr Akpan, said the court judgement has vindicated him after a “harrowing experience for the past six years.”

“My client had no problem whatsoever with my conduct,” Mr Akpan told PREMIUM TIMES.

“So it was more or less a third party that has now come to say you did not remit money to your client, whereas my client is there, sitting pretty and was never questioned, was never interrogated (by the EFCC).”

He said he was not going to seek redress.

“I have been vindicated not because I am without fault, but because God in his mercy has given me another opportunity.

“I forgive every person that has been part of this harrowing experience for the past six years,” he said.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate



TEXT AD: To place an advert here . Call Willie - +2348098788999


JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (0)
premiumtimes





PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

NLC gives Ekiti govt deadline to pay outstanding salaries

Next Post

Wife pours boiling water on “drunk” husband

Cletus Ukpong

Cletus Ukpong

Cletus Ukpong is PREMIUM TIMES' assistant editor in charge of Nigeria's South-South region. He is a graduate of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Twitter: @CletusUkpong

More News

Residents and Security Operatives are seen at the scene of the Kano explosion in Sabon Gari area.

Residents, police disagree over Kano explosion

May 17, 2022
Kunle Ajayi, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, outreach and partnership committee (OPC), representing the commission’s chairman at the launch

INEC unveils updated gender policy

May 17, 2022
Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Kano State

Sabon Gari explosion did not occur in school – Kano govt

May 17, 2022
Prof Kester at the ICPC Office

ICPC arraigns professor over $40,000 bribe

May 17, 2022
FILE: LASG seized motorcycles being loaded into a truck [Photo Credit: Pulse.ng]

Jungle Justice: Lagos govt cracks down on commercial motorcyclists

May 17, 2022
Nigeria Police Force

Police speak on killing of PDP Chieftain in Akwa Ibom

May 17, 2022
Next Post
The Victim

Wife pours boiling water on "drunk" husband

Rainfall

Enugu records first rainfall of the year

Leave Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad





Transport-Technology


Stanbic Ad


Access Bank Ad





Glo Ad


Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,838,813 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.