A Federal High court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted a former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, but convicted a former permanent secretary of the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had on May 11, 2016, arraigned Moro alongside Daniel-Nwobia; an ex-director in the ministry, Felix Alayebami, and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.
They were arraigned on an 11-count of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering in the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, while delivering ruling in a no-case submission by the defendants, discharged and acquitted Dretex Tech Nigeria Ltd.
The judge also discharged Moro of criminal charges brought against him by the EFCC.
He held that the anti-corruption agency failed to establish ingredients of fraud that could link the lawmaker with the alleged offence.
Justice Dimgba, while discharging Moro from the alleged fraud aspect of the recruitment, however, ordered him to defend himself on the public procurement aspect of the charges.
The court held that it was evident the former minister took all necessary measures to ensure proper crowd control, through the deployment of security agencies to the venue.
Nevertheless, the court found the former permanent secretary guilty of count four.
”Having found that she was responsible for total compliance to the Bureau of the Public Procurement Act, and detecting that there was a breach in the Act before the firm was contracted to carry out the recruitment exercise and did not raise any issues, made her culpable,” Justice Dimgba stated.
The court adjourned till April 27 for sentencing of Daniel-Nwobia.
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