ABUJA COURT DISCHARGES EX-SPEAKER DIMEJI BANKOLE, DEPUTY.

Dimeji Bankole

An Abuja High Court this morning, discharged and acquitted the immediate past House of Representative Speaker Rt. Honorable Dimeji Sabur Bankole and his erstwhile deputy, Alhaji Usman Bayero Nafada of fraudulent acts in the well celebrated case of ten billion naira loan.

In a detailed and incisive judgment, delivered in the early hour of today, Honorable Justice Suleiman Belgore of the High Court of the FCT dismissed the 17 charges against the former speaker and his deputy by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) in respect of the increase in the running costs of the House of Representative and obtaining a loan from United Bank for Africa(UBA) to pay for same.

Dimeji Bankole and his erstwhile deputy, Bayero Nafada were jointly sued in a seventeen charges instituted by the EFCC last year, accusing them of criminal breach of trust and fraud. The case  brought their reputation to all time low due to the kind of publicity it drew across the world. One of the charges alleged that “ on the 12^th day of May 2010, Dimeji Bankole and his Deputy commited criminal breach of fraud by agreeing to approve the allowance or “running costs” of members of the House of Representative in  violation of the approved remuneration package for political, public and judicial office holders by the Revenue Mobilization allocation and Fiscal Commission and the extant revised Financial Regulations of the federal Government of Nigeria, 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 97(1) of the penal code cap 532, laws of the federation of Nigeria(Abuja) 1990 and punishable under section 315 of the same penal code act”

A second  charge has it that “Sometime in January 2010 the speaker allegedly used his position dishonestly by using House of Representative Account  number 00390070000018 with UBA, property of the Federal republic of Nigeria to obtain a loan of Ten billion, Three Hundred and Eighty million naira(N10,380,000,000) to augment the allowance and ‘running costs” of members of the House of Representatives in violation of the extant revised financial regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria 2009 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 311 of the penal code act, cap 532, laws of the Federal republic of Nigeria(Abuja) and punishable under section 315 of the same penal code”

The ruling which was in excess of 100 pages made the following factual findings from the evidence presented by the prosecution.

That the loan in question was sourced and obtained by the House of representative and not by Honorable Dimeji Bankole or Honorable Nafada and that the said loan was not misappropriated bythe house to pay the increase.

That Honorable Dimeji Bankole and Honorable Nafada did not benefit  from the increase in running costs of members of the House of Representative and did not benefit from the loan obtained in the House to pay the increase.

That Honorable Dimeji Bankole and Honorable Bello Nafada were not engaged in any illegality whatsoever or wrongdoing in respect of the increase in running costs of the House or obtaining the loan to pay for same

That at all times, the ex-speaker instructed that all rules must be strictly complied with in the conduct of the affairs of the House of Reps.

That the ex-speaker was not a signatory to the accounts of the House and had no dealings whatsoever with the banks in respect  of the House accounts.

That the evidence led by the prosecution did not establish  any of the ingredients of the offences for which they were charged.

That the prosecution did not make out a prima facie which would require the accused persons to leave evidence in their defense.

The court finally advised the EFCC to deal with substance and stop chasing shadows in the fight against corruption.

 Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted Honorable Dimeji Bankole and Honorable Nafada of the charges against them.

Barrister Margret Orakwuishi one of the leading counsel for Honorable Dimeji Bankole  reacting to the judgment described it as “justice well deserved” and cautioned journalists against convicting innocent citizens arbitrarily without fair hearing. According to her, “It is sad that certain section of the media rushed to try and convict Bankole on the pages of newspapers without giving due regards to the merit of the case and weight of evidence”