Mohammed Bello Adoke, a former Attorney-General of the Federation, has been dismissed and cleared of money laundering allegations by the Abuja Federal High Court.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed Adoke’s “no case” motion about the money laundering accusations against him.
In 2017, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Adoke and Abubakar Aliyu, a property developer, with allegedly laundering over N300 million.
While the EFCC conceded before Ekwo that Adoke obtained a mortgage from Unity Bank, it claimed before Justice Kutigi that the money was a bribe from the sale of the oil block by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2011.
On March 28, 2024, Kutigi brought out the discrepancy when dismissing the accusations against Adoke and other defendants, chastising the EFCC for wasting the court’s time over four years.
However, on Friday, Justice Ekwo stated that the EFCC did not submit any evidence to substantiate the fundamental parts of the charge against Adoke, who was named as the first defendant.
Ekwo affirmed the no-case motion while releasing and acquitting him of all charges.
The judge, however, ordered that Aliyu, the second defendant, must begin his defence since he had a case to answer.
cc: Daily Post Ng
