N1.6bn Alleged Fraud: Court discharges, acquits Jonathan’s aide

Reprieve on Thursday came the way of Emmanuel Waripamo-Oweu Dudafa, Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was charged before the court for conspiracy, forgery and laundering of the sum of N1.6 billion, as a Federal High Court discharged and acquitted him of the charges.

Also discharged and acquitted alongside Dudafa, on the offences by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is a banker, Iwejuo Joseph, Tribuneonline reported.

In discharging the duo of the 22 counts charge, Justice Mohammed Idris held that the prosecution has failed to prove its cave against the defendants.

The judge also said the prosecution was unable to link Dudafa and Iwejuo to said crimes

The judge while reviewing the documentary and oral evidence of the parties, stated that the prosecution case collapsed because they failed or refused to call vital witnesses that would have helped their case.

In particular, the judge held that the failure of the prosecution to call Sombre Omeibi, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser during Jonathan’s regime, Mr. S. A. Salihu, a Director of Finance in the NSA office, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor or its representative, or any member of Otueke Anglican Communion, was fatal to the anti-graft agency’s case.

Justice Idris said its not the numbers of the witnesses called that matters in a trial, but vital witnesses that can throw light into the grey areas.

He added that if the prosecution had called anybody from Otueke Anglican Communion, the witness would have been able to tell the court whether or not they gave the money realised from the fundraising to ex-president Jonathan to hold in trust for them. And that Dasuki or the representative of the CBN if called would have been able to clear the air on whether money was actually released.