Raymond Dokpesi, the former chairman of Daar Communications PLC, has been discharged and acquitted of corruption allegations by the court of appeal in Abuja.
Dokpesi, his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Ltd, were arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust.
He is alleged to have received N2.1 billion from the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) between October 2014 and March 2015, during the tenure of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser, for services not rendered.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had called 13 witnesses in the course of trail.
On November 21, 2018, John Tsoho, trial judge, had struck out Dokpesi’s no-case submission and ordered him to open his defence.
Agrieved, Dokpesi approched the court of appeal seeking to upturn the trial court’s decision.
Delivering judgment in the appeal on Thursday, Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, justice of the appellate court, held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the appellants.
More to follow…
