Court Clears Ex-NNPC GMD, Yakubu of Money Laundering Charge

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, discharged and acquitted the former Group Managing Director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, of the money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.

The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, held that the anti-graft agency failed to prove its case against the one-time NNPC boss. The court ordered that monies the EFCC seized from Yakubu who was GMD of the NNPC between 2012 and 2014, should be returned to him.

The EFCC had on the strength of a tip-off by a whistleblower, raided Yakubu’s guest house situated at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna State in 2017 and discovered the sum of $9.7million and £74,000 which he hid in a fireproof safe inside the house.

Subsequently, the Federal High Court in Kano, on February 13, 2017, granted interim order forfeiting the recovered monies to the federal government.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna equally upheld the forfeiture order in 2018.

The defendant, who was released on bail with the sum of N300million, however insisted that the seized monies were part of monetary gifts he received on various occasions.

He told the court that people gave him monetary gifts on occasions such as birthdays, thanksgiving services, and other celebrations he hosted after he left service.

Though the EFCC initially preferred a six-count criminal charge against him, however, the trial court, on May 16, 2019, struck out counts 5 and 6 of the charge based on a no-case submission that was made by the Defendant.

Likewise, following an appeal that was lodged by Defendant, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal further struck out counts 1 and 2 of the charge and ordered him to open his defence with respect to only counts 3 and 4 of the charge.
EFCC had on October 17, 2018, closed its case against him after it produced seven witnesses that testified before the trial court.

Yakubu, who opened his defence on July 8, 2020, had on March 16, 2017, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The EFCC  alleged that Yakubu had between 2012 and 2014, without going through a financial institution, received cash payments of $9, 772, 800  thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2012 and punishable under section 16(2) of the Act.