In a ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court determined that the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, is not liable in the Federal Government’s appeal to overturn the Court of Appeal’s verdict clearing him of false assets declaration charges….CONTINUE READING HERE
The case stemmed from the Federal Government’s 2015 indictment of Orubebe for alleged non-disclosure of a property in Abuja in his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Orubebe contested the charges, stating that he had sold the property to his landlord before his final asset declaration while leaving office in 2011.
Despite his plea of not guilty, the Code of Conduct Tribunal ruled for the property’s forfeiture to the Federal Government due to Orubebe’s failure to declare it.
However, Orubebe contested the tribunal’s decision at the Court of Appeal, where it was overturned.
Unsatisfied with this outcome, the Federal Government escalated the case to the Supreme Court.
Justice Emmanuel Agim declared the appeal incompetent, citing a lack of prior court approval to file a mixed fact of law, and subsequently struck it out….CONTINUE READING HERE
