EFCC closes case against former PDP governor who defected to APC

– The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) took a rather strange decision today, November 22

– The anti-graft body closed its case against former Taraba governor, Jolly Nyame

– Nyame was standing trial on charges of money laundering to the tune of N1.6billion

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today, November 22 closed its case against former Taraba governor, Jolly Nyame.

Nyame was standing trial before Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja on charges of money laundering to the tune of N1.6billion before the trial was quashed by the EFCC.

The former governor was facing trial on a 41-count charge of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of state funds to the tune of N1.64billion between 1999 and 2007 during his tenure as governor.

At the resumed hearing today, counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told the court that the prosecution had decided this morning to close the case against the former governor.

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Jacobs did not give further details on why the decision was taken.

In response, Nyame’s counsel, Omosanya Popoola, said that he would file a ‘no-case submission.’

His words: “In view of the closure of the prosecution case, we shall be making a ‘no-case submission’ pursuant to Section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.’’

Justice Banjoko, thereafter adjourned to Monday, December 5 for adoption of written addresses on the ‘no-case submission’.

The trial lasted all of six years, as it started in 2010, with the EFCC calling 14 witnesses.

Nyame defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in December 2014, less than two months to the 2015 general elections.

After his defection, he paid a visit to then APC candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), who emerged the eventual winner of the keenly contested electoral battle.

Meanwhile, ex-governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu formally joined the APC on Wednesday, November 16.

He was received at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja by its National Working Committee led by national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun.

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Three weeks ago, the EFCC re-arraigned Kalu at a Federal High Court in Lagos. Kalu was formerly arraigned by the anti-graft agency before Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2007.

The former governor was arraigned on a 117-count charge which was later amended to 37 by the anti-graft agency.

The charges bordering on corrupt diversion N3.2 billion from the coffers of Abia state government’s treasury was said to have been committed during Uzor-Kalu’s tenure as the governor of the state between 1999 to 2007.

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