S’Court strikes out EFCC appeal seeking to upturn NIMASA aide’s acquittal

By Innocent Anaba

The Supreme Court has struck retired an entreaty by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, efficaciously bringing to an extremity its effort to overturn the acquittal of Dismass Adoon, a erstwhile adjutant to ex-Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpolobokemi.

The sheet of the apex tribunal was led by Justice Mohammed Garba, with Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Haruna Tsammani and Jamilu Tukur concurring with the decision.

In its ruling successful Appeal No. SC/ML/29/2025, the Supreme Court struck retired the EFCC’s question aft the prosecution formally withdrew it, holding that the lawsuit could not proceed immoderate further.

The ineligible tussle originated astatine the Federal High Court, Lagos, which successful 2019, convicted Adoon connected aggregate counts of conversion contrary to Section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Amendment) Act.

He was sentenced to 7 years’ imprisonment connected each count, with an enactment of a N7 cardinal good per count. Adoon challenged the determination astatine the Court of Appeal, Lagos.

In its unanimous judgment, the appellate tribunal held that the prosecution failed to beryllium its lawsuit beyond tenable doubt.

Delivering the pb judgment, Justice Chidi Uwa ruled that Section 15 of the Money Laundering Act is not a strict liability offence and therefore, requires impervious of cognition oregon intent.

The tribunal recovered that Adoon, who served simply arsenic a idiosyncratic adjunct to the NIMASA Director-General, was liable lone for managing schedules, visitors and itineraries. He neither participated successful meetings nor successful tender processes oregon committee accounts.

Consequently, determination was nary grounds that helium knew oregon ought to person known that the funds successful question were unlawfully obtained.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the EFCC approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the acquittal and reinstate the conviction.

However, pursuing the withdrawal of its motion, the Supreme Court struck retired the appeal, thereby leaving the acquittal intact.

The station S’Court strikes retired EFCC entreaty seeking to upturn NIMASA aide’s acquittal appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.