‘Stop witch-hunting me’, K. T. Turaki tells EFCC after discharge, acquittal in money laundering case
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, discharged and acquitted former minister of special duties and inter-governmental affairs, Kabiru Turaki, SAN of money laundering charge.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on the no-case submission filed by Turaki’s lawyers, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had failed to link Mr Turaki and his co-defendants with the offences contained in the 16-count charge.
In a statement personally signed by Turaki on his Facebook page immediately after the judgement was delivered, he said:
“Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alamin, Allah indeed is worthy to be praised!
Dear Nigerians, join me to celebrate as I won my case against EFCC this morning.
In a landmark ruling delivered by Justice Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, he said my prosecution was not only illegal, null and void but unconstitutional.
He said there is no iota of evidence against me to warrant me to be called upon to enter any defense.
He reviewed the so-called evidence adduced by the EFCC and said it did not establish the ingredients of any of the 16 charges they filed against me.
He made a resounding finding that apart from the fact that all the prosecution ‘material’ witnesses are tainted because they are the culprits who were found to have engaged in brazen acts of corruption and misappropriation of public funds, EFCC refused to charge them in court, but brought them to testify against me.
In any case, he said all of them have exonerated me of any wrongdoing, as they said in their respective testimonies that I was neither the chief accounting officer of the ministry nor a signatory to the accounts of the ministry. That I was not also a member of the ministerial tenders board, and have not authorized any money to be paid to me or any other person for that matter.
The judge concluded that not only were their testimonials seriously discredited under the barrage of cross-examination fire but that indeed it is so manifestly unbelievable that no reasonable tribunal could rely on the same.
In consequence of these infallible findings of fact, the Judge Discharged and Acquitted me on all the 16 charges filed against me.
#Turakivindicated
#courage
#stopthewitchhunt
Signed: Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.”
Justice Ekwo had said that the defendants dislodged all the evidence of the prosecution witnesses called in the matter during cross examination, describing the 12 witnesses relied on by EFCC as “tainted witnesses.”
The judge said that it was established during cross examination that Mr Turaki was not a signatory to the account of the ministry and did not authorise any payment or make any transfer of funds.
He aligned with the argument that held the former minister was not a member of the Ministerial Tender Board and that there was no inflow of funds from the account of the ministry to Mr Turaki’s company.
The EFCC had, in the 16-count charge, accused the ex-minister and others of unlawful and criminal misappropriation of N715 million.
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