The EFCC, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, submitted a request to the Appellate Court to halt the enforcement of the judgment made by the Kogi State High Court in Case No: HCL/696/2022 involving the Kogi State Government, the Commission, and others. The judgment was delivered on December 12, 2022, and an associated order was issued on February 6, 2023.
In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, May 18, 2023, the Appellate Court rejected the preliminary objection raised by the Kogi State Government and declared the ex-parte order issued by the trial court as “illegal.”
Furthermore, a fine of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) was imposed on the Kogi State government and its officials. Additionally, the state government was ordered to pay N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) for submitting a baseless preliminary objection and another N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) for obtaining a prejudiced ex-parte order against the Commission.
The Appellate Court also instructed Justice Josiah Joe Majebi, the Chief Judge of Kogi State, to transfer the case to a different judge.
The appeal on behalf of the EFCC was handled by Kemi Pinhero, SAN, Jubrin Okutepa, SAN, and Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
