Dimeji Bankole
A Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Teritory Abuja, has told former Speaker of the House of Representative, Dimeji Bankole, accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of masterminding a N9bn contract fraud to go and sin no more.
Bankole was acquitted by the court on Friday February 14th.
Justice Evoh Chukwu, in a ruling on a no-case-submission filed by Bankole after the prosecution had called its witnesses against him in the trial, held that there was no evidence linking the former speaker to the alleged offences.
Ruling on the no-case-submission on Friday, Justice Chukwu stressed that, in order to prove the case against the former Speaker, the EFCC must prove that the “accused person (Bankole) colluded with the supplier or contractor to supply at inflated prices.”
He held that the anti-graft agency was unable to prove such.
The judge further noted that witnesses brought by the prosecution all admitted that Bankole was not the chief accounting officer of the House.
Justice Chukwu added that all the witnesses also admitted that the contract for the purchase of the controversial items followed due process. He said, “All the witnesses told the court that the procedure for the award of the contract followed due process. None of them showed that the accused person entered into a collusive agreement with the contractors or their agents.
“The accused person does not own any of the companies.”
The judge held that the prosecution did not provide any evidence to prove that Bankole benefited from the contract.
The EFCC had accused Bankole of masterminding a contract fraud, involving the purchase of two Range Rover bullet-proof vehicles; two Range Rover vehicles (without bullet proof); three Mercedes Benz S-600 cars; 400 units of DSTV systems; 400 television sets; 800 units of desktop computers; 100 units of Sharp Digital Copier, and 400 units of HP LaserJet 2600N. Presently, Bankole is a happy man.
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