The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission hereby wishes to dissociate itself from the activities of a certain Messrs. Pinnacle Trading & Investment Nig. Ltd. who have been parading themselves as auctioneers purportedly appointed by the Commission to dispose of impounded petroleum products aboard MT Good Success and MT Asteris.
The general public is hereby warned to refrain from engaging in any activity in relation to the auctioning of any vessel or petroleum product on behalf of the Commission, as EFCC has not duly authorized anyone to act on its behalf in that regard.
The sources of the fraudulent letter of engagement being paraded by Messrs. Pinnacle Trading & Investment Nig. Ltd., are currently being investigated, with a view to bringing them to book.
It would be recalled that the vessels and their operators were arrested by the Nigerian Navy, for engaging in illegal activities and handed over to the EFCC.
By virtue of two judgments of Justice I.N Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on 15th December, 2015, their operators were convicted and the vessels and their contents totaling 4,882.097 metric ton of Premium Motor Spirit and Crude oil, forfeited to the Federal Government.
For the avoidance of any doubt, EFCC has not entered into any contract with, nor appointed Messrs. Pinnacle Trading & Investment Nig. Ltd., to act on its behalf on any matter, whatsoever. Anyone found to be parading himself as an auctioneer or agent under whatever guise in respect of the vessels MT Good Success and MT Asteris and their contents, should be apprehended and handed over to the Commission or the nearest police station.
Meanwhile, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal today dismissed the appeal filed by a former member of the Kogi State House of Assembly and former Caretaker Chairman, Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state, Gabriel Daudu, asking that his conviction for a N1.4 billion fraud by a Federal High Court Lokoja be set aside.
Daudu, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a 208 count charge bordering on money laundering and misappropriation of public funds, was found guilty of 77 counts by Justice Inyang Ekwo and sentenced to 154 years imprisonment.
In his ruling, the trial judge, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt, and therefore, sentenced Daudu to two years on each of the 77 counts to run concurrently.
Dissatisfied with his conviction, Daudu approached the appellate court praying that his conviction be set aside.
However, in a unanimous decision today, the Appeal Court upheld the ruling of the lower court and dismissed Daudu’s appeal as unmeritorious and lacking in merit.
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