The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal lodged by the Federal Government challenging the overturning of the conviction of former Niger-Delta Minister, Godsday Orubebe, regarding accusations of violating the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
In its ruling, a five-member panel of the highest court determined that the appeal brought by the Federal Government was invalid.
Delivering the leading judgment authored by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba but presented by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court concluded that the appellant failed to secure the necessary permission from the court before lodging the appeal, which encompassed both legal and factual aspects.
Due to the absence of prior court permission as mandated, the appeal was deemed incompetent and subsequently dismissed.
The Federal Government’s appeal contested the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which overturned Orubebe’s conviction on October 4, 2016, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for violating the Code of Conduct for public officers.
In a single-count charge, the Federal Government accused Orubebe of failing to declare a property located at Plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja, in any of the asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) during his tenure as a minister.
Orubebe refuted the accusation, asserting that he had sold the property before assuming ministerial office and therefore believed it unnecessary to declare it.