The Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, sitting at Court No. 1 in Jalingo, has discharged and acquitted three former officials of Sardauna Local Government Area over allegations of fraud and mismanagement of public project funds.
Delivering judgment in Charge No. TRSJ/19C/2020 on Friday, Justice Agya held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the collapse of all charges against the defendants.
The acquitted persons are Dr. Jedua Ahmed Dawud, a former Executive Chairman of the council; Oliver Wubon, a former Caretaker Chairman; and Joseph Danladi John, a former Director of Finance.
The case was originally filed in June 2020 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on behalf of the Federal Government, containing six separate counts including conspiracy, breach of trust, forgery, and use of false documents.
The prosecution alleged that in 2012, the defendants were involved in the diversion and mismanagement of funds meant for capital projects within Sardauna Local Government.
It was claimed that millions of naira meant for development projects were allegedly misused in different transactions between 2012, including N27 million, N35 million, and N42 million said to have been diverted under various circumstances.
The EFCC also accused some of the defendants of forging payment vouchers and allegedly using them as genuine documents to support fraudulent withdrawals.
However, during the trial, the defence team argued that the prosecution failed to establish a strong and credible case, insisting that the evidence presented did not meet legal standards required for conviction.
They also challenged parts of the EFCC investigation, saying it relied heavily on inconsistent witness statements.
In his ruling, Justice Agya agreed that the prosecution did not prove criminal conspiracy or fraud against the accused persons.
The judge noted that the allegation of conspiracy could not stand because the supposed offences were not jointly established against all defendants in a manner required by law.
He therefore discharged and acquitted the second and third defendants on the forgery-related counts before extending the ruling to clear all three men on the remaining charges.
Following the judgment, counsel to the defendants, Dr. Ibrahim Effiong, described the ruling as fair and well-reasoned.
The EFCC counsel, Mr. Stephen Okemini, said the agency would study the judgment before deciding whether to take further legal steps.
One of the freed defendants, Oliver Wubon, expressed relief after the ruling, saying the judgment had finally lifted a long-standing burden from their lives.