The Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted former head of the civil service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, of alleged N570m money laundering charges, delivering a scathing rebuke of the prosecution brought by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice James Omotosho upheld no-case submissions filed by Oyo-Ita and eight co-defendants, finding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had failed to establish a prima facie case after nearly six years of proceedings.
“The case presented by the prosecution has no weight whatsoever,” the judge said, describing it as one “built on the quicksand of speculations, suspicions and shoddy investigation”.
Omotosho held that prosecutors had failed to prove the essential elements of money laundering, particularly the existence of any underlying criminal conduct. Without establishing such predicate offences, he said, the charges could not stand.
“The prosecution did not provide any shred of evidence to show that the monies are tainted with illegality,” he ruled.
The court found that contracts cited in the allegations were properly approved and executed, while payments such as estacodes, duty tour allowances and air tickets were authorised through official channels. There was no evidence, the judge added, that such payments were made without corresponding official travel.
He further criticised the EFCC for failing to produce key documentation, including travel approvals, audit queries and official memos, saying the court had effectively been invited “to engage in speculation”.
Omotosho also rejected purported confessional statements attributed to Oyo-Ita and some co-defendants, ruling that they were obtained in breach of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. In particular, the prosecution failed to provide video recordings of the statement-taking process, rendering the evidence inadmissible.
The judge noted that Oyo-Ita was neither a director nor a shareholder in companies linked to the transactions under scrutiny, further weakening the prosecution’s case.
The EFCC had arraigned Oyo-Ita and others in March 2020 on an 18-count charge bordering on fraud, alleging irregularities involving duty tour allowances, estacodes and contract kickbacks amounting to about N570m. Although the commission called eight witnesses and tendered documentary exhibits, the defence argued successfully that the evidence did not establish any offence requiring a response.
Oyo-Ita was removed from office in September 2019 by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari amid corruption allegations, which have now been dismissed in full by the court.
