The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday threw out an appeal by a Lagos-based refrigerator repairer, Mr. Olalekan Bayode, on the ongoing trial over the $15 million bribe money.
Bayode is seeking to stop hearing in a lawsuit by the Federal Government on the controversial $15 million bribe allegedly offered by former Governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori, to the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, to stop his trial for corruption.
In a unanimous decision, the three-man panel of the court presided over by Justice Aminu Sanusi, which heard the appeal, held that it was defective and grossly incompetent.
Specifically, the appellate court held that the appeal did not contain the grounds upon which it was filed.
The appeal was filed by a United Kingdom-based lawyer, Mr. John Kayode Olufemi Aina.
But Sanusi held that the motion was grossly defective beyond immediate remedy as it did not in any way comply with the Rules of the Court of Appeal.
Ibori allegedly offered the $15 million as bribe to Ribadu to compromise on his probe.
However, due to denial by Ibori, the money was kept in the vault of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, since 2007.
But last year, the Federal Government approached a Federal High Court to give order that the money be forfeited to it.
The court had already issued an interim order threatening to grant the Federal Government request if the real owner of the money did not show up within a stipulated period.
But before the expiration of the ultimatum, Delta State Government came to court to claim the fund, notwithstanding that Ibori had distanced himself from the money.
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