Appeal Court upturns Orubebe’s CCT conviction

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has acquitted a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, Godsday Orubebe, earlier convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over false assets declaration.

Orubebe had on his conviction at the CCT on October 4, 2016 approached the appellate court faulting the tribunal’s judgment.

He was convicted for failure to declare a property at Plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja in any of his asset declaration forms as minister.

The tribunal’s judgment read by its chairman, Danladi Umar ordered that the said property, which the ex-minister claimed to have sold to one Divention Properties Ltd. be forfeited to the Federal Government.

However, delivering judgment on the appeal yesterday, Justice Abdu Aboki, who read the lead judgment of a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal held that it was wrong for the CCT to have convicted Orubebe, when he had sold the property he was accused of not declaring.

He held that the issue before the tribunal was not declaration of title, but false declaration of assets and as such, the unregistered instrument of transfer of the property was admissible as proof of the payment of purchase price by Divention Properties Ltd. which bought the property from Orubebe.

Justice Aboki said Orubebe was not expected, in the eye of the law, to declare a property he had parted with noting that the issue of nonregistration of title in respect of the said undeclared property, was not raised by parties but raised on its own.

The judge, faulting the verdict of the tribunal thereafter proceeded to discharge and acquit Orubebe.