Etim Effiong
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, cleared politician cum media owner, Raymond Dokpesi and his firm, Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, of the charges of money laundering breach of Procurement Act regarding the disbursement of N2.1 billion meant for arms purchase while Col Sambo Dasuki was the National Security Adviser (NSA) in 2014.
In two unanimous judgments, a three-man panel of Court of Appeal upheld the two appeals by Dokpesi and Daar Investment and proceeded to set aside an earlier ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which rejected the no-case submissions made by the appellants.
Justice Elfreda Wiialims-Daudu, who read the judgements, held that the prosecution did not make out a prima facie case against the appellants and did not also establish the elements of the offences charge to warrant the appellants to be called upon to enter defence.
It was learnt that Dokpesi and Daar Investment were being tried before the Federal High Court on a seven-count charge of money laundering and breach of Procurement Act by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
At the end of the prosecution’s case, after calling 14 witnesses, Dokpesi and his firm made no-case submissions, which Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a ruling on November 24, 2018 rejected and ordered them to enter their defence, a decision Dokpesi and Daar Investment appealed.