Chief Raymond Dokpesi
By Our Reporter
The court of appeal in Abuja has discharged and acquitted the former chairman of Daar Communications PLC, Chief Raymond Dokpesi of money laundering charges.
Dokpesi and his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Ltd, were arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust.
He is alleged to have received N2.1 billion from the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) between October 2014 and March 2015, during the tenure of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser, for services not rendered.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had called 13 witnesses in the course of the trial.
On November 21, 2018, John Tsoho, trial judge, had struck out Dokpesi’s no-case submission and ordered him to open his defence.
Aggrieved, Dokpesi approached the court of appeal seeking to upturn the trial court’s decision.
Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, justice of the appellate court, delivered judgment in the appeal on Thursday.
The judge held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the appellants.
