In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Federal Government’s appeal aimed at overturning the Court of Appeal’s verdict, which absolved former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, of false asset declaration charges.
Orubebe was initially charged in 2015 for allegedly failing to disclose his properties in the asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau during his tenure as a minister from 2007 to 2011.
The charge against him was in violation of Section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap 15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and punishable under Section 23(2) of the same Act.
Upon arraignment, Orubebe pleaded not guilty, asserting that he did not declare a certain plot of land as his asset in 2011 because he had sold it to his landlord before his final asset declaration upon leaving office.
Despite his defense, the Code of Conduct Tribunal ordered the forfeiture of the undisclosed property to the Federal Government.
However, the appellate court overturned the tribunal’s decision, ruling in favor of the former minister and negating the confiscation of the undeclared asset.
In response, the Federal Government, dissatisfied with the appellate court’s decision, pursued an appeal at the Supreme Court.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, delivering the lead judgment, declared the appeal as incompetent, citing a lack of prior court approval to file a mixed fact of law. Consequently, the appeal was struck out.
