Court discharges Adoke, dismisses EFCC’s second case

A Federal High Courtsitting in Abuja on Friday, discharged and acquitted former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Bello Adoke, of all charges bordering on money laundering and corruption levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo who gave the verdict on the resumption of the hearing, upheld the no-case submission by Adoke’s legal team and dismissed the second case filed against him by the EFCC.

In his ruling, Justice Ekwo said the EFCC did not provide any evidence to prove the essential elements of the offence against Adoke who was listed as first defendant in the case, and therefore, upheld the no case submission, discharging and acquitting the ex-Minister.

The Commission had dragged Adoke and an Abuja property developer, Abubakar Aliyu, to court in 2017 on alleged money laundering to the tune of N300 million.

In 2020, the agency also charged the former Minister on an alleged contract falsification in an OPL 245 transaction before Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the FCT high court.

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In its presentation before Justice Ekwo, the EFCC said Adoke committed the offence when he took a mortgage from Unity Bank, alleging that the money was proceeds of a bribe from the sale of the OPS oil block by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2011.

During an earlier hearing on March 28, Justice Kutigi however, pointed out the contradictions in the Commission’s statements while dismissing the charges against Adoke and other defendants.

Kutigi also castigated the anti-graft agency for not carrying out its investigation diligently and for wasting the court’s time for four years.