The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, challenging the forfeiture of $40,000 to the Federal Government.
A five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that the appeal lacked merit and consequently affirmed the concurrent decisions of the lower courts.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro and read in open court by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, the Supreme Court described the appeal as “doomed to fail,” thereby upholding the forfeiture order in favour of the Federal Government.
Details of the Case
The case arose from the seizure of $40,000 from Aminu Lamido during an investigation by anti-graft authorities, who alleged that the funds were linked to unlawful activities.
At the trial court, the Federal Government argued that the money constituted proceeds of crime and sought its forfeiture under relevant anti-corruption and money laundering laws. The court granted the application, ruling that Lamido failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the source of the funds.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Lamido approached the Court of Appeal, which upheld the forfeiture, agreeing that the prosecution had established sufficient grounds for the funds to be confiscated.
Still aggrieved, Lamido appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that his constitutional rights were violated and that the lower courts erred in law by ordering the forfeiture of the money.
However, the apex court rejected the arguments, holding that Lamido did not discharge the burden of proof required to overturn the findings of the trial and appellate courts.
Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court held that findings of fact made by the trial court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal were sound, well-reasoned, and supported by evidence. The justices stressed that an appellate court would not interfere with such findings unless they were shown to be perverse, which was not the case.
Consequently, the court ordered that the $40,000 be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
