Court rejects EFCC document against ex-naval chief

An FCT High Court yesterday rejected a document tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against a former Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Jibrin.

Jibrin was arraigned by the EFCC on a four-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy alongside Rear Admiral Bala Mshelia (rtd) and Rear Admiral Shehu Ahmadu (rtd) for allegedly buying a house worth N600 million from the account of Naval Engineering Services without the said purchase contract being captured in the budget.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, prosecution counsel, Barrister Farouk Abdallah while leading the first prosecution witness in evidence, sought to tender the budget of the Nigeria Navy for 2013 and 2014 with a covering letter after the witness informed the court EFCC wrote the Navy to furnish the commission with the budgets.

However, Jibrin’s counsel, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) objected to the admissibility of the document on the basis that it was not certified in accordance with the provision of Section 104 of the Evidence Act.

The trial judge, Justice Umar Sadiq in his ruling held that the said document was duly signed and stamped but the officer certifying the document clearly wrote “No fees paid” on the document. “I am of the view that the said document is inadmissible and it is hereby marked inadmissible and rejected”, he ruled.