The Court of Appeal in Lagos has cleared Patrick Akpobolokemi, the former Director-General of NIMASA, of all fraud charges involving ₦754.8 million. The court ruled that he is not guilty, officially bringing an end to the case against him.
This decision came after the appeal court reviewed and overturned a previous judgment from the Ikeja High Court. That court had earlier dismissed Akpobolokemi’s request to stop the trial, saying there was enough evidence to proceed. However, the Court of Appeal disagreed and supported his argument.
The EFCC had accused Akpobolokemi of working with others to steal money and forge documents related to the VIMSAS Committee’s bank account. While several people were originally charged, the case was later narrowed down to him and just one co-defendant.
At the trial stage, the judge believed the EFCC had made a strong case and told the accused to begin their defence. But Akpobolokemi’s lawyers challenged this, saying the EFCC had no real evidence linking him to the alleged fraud.
His legal team pointed out that the prosecution relied on documents and witness statements that should not have been accepted by the court. They questioned the reliability of testimony from three prosecution witnesses and highlighted problems with some documents presented as exhibits.
The Court of Appeal agreed with these points. It said that Akpobolokemi was not a part of the VIMSAS Committee and had no authority over its finances. He was not a signatory to the committee’s accounts and did not approve any financial transactions.
The court also said that some of the evidence used in the trial should not have been accepted in the first place. Whether or not objections were made during the trial, only legally allowed evidence should have been considered.
As a result, the court threw out all the charges against him and ruled that he is not guilty. This decision ends the long-running case against him.
Throughout the trial, Akpobolokemi’s lawyers argued that the EFCC failed to prove their claims, while the EFCC insisted that the statements of 12 witnesses supported the charges.
