N319m fraud: Appeal Court denies ex-FCTA director bail, orders accelerated hearing

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has refused the application for bail pending appeal filed by Mr. Garba Mohammed Dukku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), who was convicted and sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment for the diversion of public funds amounting to approximately N319 million.

Mr. Dukku had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to be admitted to bail pending the determination of his appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sentenced him to a total of 24 years imprisonment for corruption and money laundering offences.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeal held that the Appellant/Applicant failed to show any exceptional circumstance to warrant the exercise of the Court’s discretion in granting bail pending appeal. The Court consequently refused the application.

The Court, however, granted an accelerated hearing of the substantive appeal in order to ensure the expeditious determination of the matter.

The development was confirmed on Thursday in a statement signed by the ICPC’s Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey.

Mr. Dukku was convicted by the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Honourable Justice James Omotosho, on six counts bordering on corruption and money laundering in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.

The ICPC had established during trial that between 2012 and 2013, Mr. Dukku fraudulently diverted a total sum of N318,250,000 belonging to the AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account in various tranches, including N56.25m, N71m, N53m, N54m, N46m, and N36.3m.

The Commission further proved that the diverted funds were subsequently transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized purposes.

Although Mr. Dukku claimed during trial that the funds were handed over to his superiors, the Federal High Court dismissed the defence for lack of credible evidence and held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Omotosho consequently sentenced the convict to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, amounting to a total jail term of 24 years.

The Court also imposed an option of fine equivalent to five times the amount involved in each count, totaling approximately N1.6billion.

Welcoming the decision of the Court of Appeal refusing bail pending appeal, the ICPC described it as a reaffirmation of the principle that applications for such relief must be supported by exceptional and compelling circumstances.

The Commission added that it remains resolute in its commitment to the diligent prosecution of corruption cases and the protection of public resources from abuse and misappropriation.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖