Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, on Friday, February 14, 2014, was “discharged and acquitted” by a Federal High Court siting in Abuja of any complicity in all corruption charges brought against by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
An emotional Bankole burst into tears after the judgement was read by the judge.
The former Speaker was standing trial on a 16-criminal-count charge bordering on contract inflation and fraudulent embezzlement of public funds.
Reading the judgement in court on Friday, Justice Evoh Stephen Chukwu, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case against Bankole. Justice Chukwu held that the testimonies of the six witnesses called by the prosecution could not link the former Speaker with award of contracts as alleged by EFCC.
Bankole was accused of conniving with others as covered by counts 3, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 14 of the charge, to commit a crime which was not shown by the prosecution witnesses in their testimonies.
Sometimes ago, Bankole was discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High Court after he was arraigned for allegedly obtaining illegal loans to the tune of N9 billion for the House of Representatives.
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