Court Drops Charges Against Sylva Because Of His Closeness To Buhari?

The Federal High Court in Abuja has today, June 1, withdrawn corruption charges against Timipre Sylva, ex-governor of Bayelsa state.

The officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clashed in a Federal Court with Nigeria’s Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as the group showed up in court to subdue corruption charges against Sylva.

Some witnesses supposed political drama as they pointed to the event as a setback of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign promise to fight corruption.

O.J. Nnadi, a lawyer introducing the DPP, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), shocked the courtroom assemblage as he moved a motion asking Justice E.S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss all the charges against the former governor.

One of the lawyers said: “Marks a disappointing abandonment by the new Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of its avowed policy of fighting corruption.”

“Nigerians are going to view this development as a kind of political reward by the APC [All Progressives Congress] to one of its members, Chief Sylva. Unless this absurd situation is immediately reversed, the Nigerian people’s just expectation of a more vigorous crusade against corruption would have been dealt a huge blow,” he added.

The EFCC’s counsel, J.A. Ojogbane, who was surprised by the development recalled the court that the anti-corruption agency had already begun preliminary arguments in the case.

He added that he and the EFCC had not been briefed beforehand about the DPP’s plan to retreat corruption complaints against ex-governor.
Justice Chukwu dismissed and acquitted Sylva and ordered the EFCC to release his international passport to him.

After the drama in court, the crimes commission later noted that the agency had united the charges against the former governor with the intention of filing new charges in the future.

The source added likely would be no new accusation against Sylva, adding that the ex-governor may have been let off the hook because of his closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ex-Bayels governor was the head of the Buhari’s inauguration committee.

He was accused of using three companies to commit the money laundering offences between 2009 and 2012 when he was the governor of Bayelsa state.

Timipre Sylva served as the governor of Bayelsa state in southern Nigeria, from 2008 till 2012.

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