Supreme Court Affirms Seven Years Jail For Top Senator Over N240million Fraud
Supreme Court Affirms Seven Years Jail For Top Senator Over N240million Fraud
Senator Bassey served as a member of the Senate of Nigeria from June 2015 to January 2023.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday affirmed the conviction and seven-year prison sentence imposed on Senator Albert Bassey over a N240million fraud case, bringing to a close his protracted legal battle.
Senator Bassey served as a member of the Senate of Nigeria from June 2015 to January 2023.
He previously served as the Commissioner of Finance in Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2014.
He was first elected to the Senate in March 2015, to represent the Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District and he won re-election in the February 2019 senatorial elections.
In a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Stephen Jonah Adah, a five-member panel of the apex court upheld the earlier judgments of the trial court and the Court of Appeal, which found Bassey guilty and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment.
The court also ordered the restoration of the restitution of N204million to Akwa Ibom State.
The apex court held that while the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, it failed to properly address the restitution order earlier made by the trial court.
The Supreme Court consequently restored that order.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Adah stated: “The order of this court is that the conviction and sentencing imposed by the lower court on the 23 day of June 2023 on the appellant is hereby affirmed but the order of the lower court avoiding the order of restitution given by the trial court did not follow the law, so it is revised and the right order is to nullify same and thereby the restitution of sum of N204 million made by the trial court is restored”.
Bassey’s legal troubles began following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was arraigned before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court in Oyo, Akwa Ibom State, on a seven-count charge bordering on corruption and bribery.
The anti-graft agency, led by prosecution counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, accused Bassey of receiving bribes in the form of 12 cars valued at N254million while serving as Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom State.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022, the trial court convicted him on all seven counts and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on each count, amounting to a cumulative 42 years.
The sentences were, however, to run concurrently.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, Bassey approached the Court of Appeal.
A three-man panel led by Justice Rapheal Chikwe Agbo upheld the conviction but introduced an option of fine, a decision that was later challenged at the Supreme Court.
At the apex court, the panel carefully reviewed the grounds of appeal filed by the appellant and the arguments presented by counsel.
In its final pronouncement, the court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the conviction and sentence handed down by the lower court, while correcting what it described as an error relating to the restitution order.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, the conviction and seven-year jail term imposed on Senator Bassey now stand as final, alongside the restored order directing him to refund N204million to Akwa Ibom State.
