The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the conviction of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George, and five former directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority by a Lagos State High Court in 2009.
The NPA directors are Alhaji Aminu Dabo, Captain Oluwasegun Abidoye, Alhaji Abdulahi Aminu Tafida, Alhaji Zanna Maidaribe and Mr. Sule Aliyu, who were tried and convicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside George over offences bordering on corruption, inflation of contracts and contracts splitting.
George was the chairman of the NPA between 2001 and 2003, when the alleged offences were said to have occurred.
However, delivering judgment on separate appeals filed by George and the others to challenge their conviction, the Supreme Court held that the allegation of contract splitting over which the accused persons were convicted, had not become a criminal offence as at the time the alleged incident took place.
The Supreme Court maintained that, from its findings, the convictions were based on the alleged failure of the then NPA officials to obey the provisions of a circular on the award of contracts.
According to the court, the said failure to obey the provisions of the circular was not a criminal offence as at the time George and the others were charged to court, and subsequently convicted.
The Public Procurement Act, which was to criminalise the offence of contract splitting, for which George and the others were convicted, was enacted in 2007.
The apex court held that George and his co-accused persons were wrongfully convicted and sentenced by the trial court.
Even though they had already served the two years prison sentence imposed on them by the LSHC, George and the others, through their lawyers including Kanu Agabi, SAN, and Joseph Daudu, SAN, had asked the Supreme Court to set aside their conviction and the subsequent punishment.
Before approaching the Supreme Court, they had failed in their bid to overturn their conviction at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the verdict of the LSHC, ruling that they were properly charged and convicted under the relevant laws of Lagos State. Vanguard newspaper

2015 election tactics at its best. Up goodluck jonathan.

what a farce ,in the name of Nigeria shit happens