The Sokoto State Division of the Court of Appeal has sentenced two Chinese nationals, Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Kuai to 3 years imprisonment over corruption.
The Informant247 recalls that the Chinese nationals were dragged before the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto, on a 3- Count charge which border on attempted bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.
They were alleged of giving a bribe of N50 million to operatives of the Sokoto Zonal Command of the EFCC.
They were reportedly discharged and acquitted of the said charges by the lower court — which triggered an appeal by the EFCC.
While passing judgment on Friday March 31, Justice Abubakar Mahmud Talba, revealed that the respondents attempted to frustrate the Appeal via maneuverings, affirming that “Gone are the days of technicalities in Law”.
He said that “Court’s must allow cases to be heard on merits”.
“The respondents are charged with conspiracy and making a cash payment in excess of the threshold provided by the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended in 2012 to Abdullahi Lawal (then zonal head of EFCC Sokoto) which was established beyond reasonable doubt before the lower Court but surprisingly the trial Judge summersaulted in his judgement and recanted.
“I regret to say that the judgment is like a fiction by the trial judge who created doubts in his mind while discharging his responsibilities.
“Without doubt the trial judge grossly misconceived that no offence was committed,” Justice Talba averred.
“And in the instant case there exists positive cogent inescapable evidence the offence was committed”, he said.
He convicted and sentenced the Chinese nationals to 3 years on each of the two with an option of N10 Million fine each on each count.
“Before I draw the curtain, the respondents are Chinese and an offence of this gravity in their home country attracts the death penalty yet here they are corrupting our Country.
“The Courts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not condone corruption in any way; as President Muhammadu Buhari has said if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,” he stressed.