The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the bail application filed by jailed former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, pending the determination of his appeal against his conviction for laundering N868.5 million.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, in a ruling delivered on Friday, held that Mr Nwabuoku’s application lacked merit.
The decision, read by the lead judge, Adebukola Banjoko, upheld the opposition of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which argued that the former acting accountant general-failed to establish sufficient grounds to warrant his release after conviction.
The EFCC disclosed the court’s decision in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
On 23 March Judge James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja setenced him to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of laundering N868.465 million.
Mr Nwabuoku briefly served as Acting Accountant General of the Federation in 2022 following the suspension of Ahmed Idris, who was being investigated by the EFCC over alleged corruption.
His tenure, however, lasted less than two months before he was removed from office after the anti-graft agency launched an investigation into separate allegations of financial misconduct against him.
The EFCC had prosecuted the former acting accountant general on an amended nine counts, alleging that he laundered public funds while serving as Director of Finance and Accounts at the Federal Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.
Following his conviction, Mr Nwabuoku filed an appeal and subsequently applied for bail on health grounds
He argued that his medical condition had deteriorated while in custody and that he required specialised treatment beyond what the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, the designated hospital for inmates of the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, could provide.
In the application filed on 8 May through his lawyer, N.I. Quakers, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Nwabuoku described himself as a responsible citizen and former Acting Accountant General of the Federation.
He also told the court that he had credible sureties who would ensure his appearance whenever required if granted bail.
The EFCC opposed the application through its lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, also a SAN, who filed a counter-affidavit on 25 May.
The anti-graft agency argued that the offences for which Mr Nwabuoku was convicted were serious, involving the diversion of substantial public funds and undermining the government’s capacity to tackle the country’s security challenges.
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It also maintained that there was no medical evidence showing that the former acting accountant general could not continue receiving treatment, including surgery if necessary, at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital while serving his sentence.
According to the commission, the fact that correctional authorities had transferred him to the teaching hospital for medical evaluation demonstrated that he had not been denied access to medical care.
The EFCC further argued that granting bail pending appeal would erode public confidence in the administration of criminal justice and undermine the country’s fight against corruption and money laundering.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Ms Banjoko, the appeal court judge who read the three-member panel’s lead ruling, held that the application lacked merit and dismissed it.
Mr Nwabuoku’s substantive appeal against his conviction and sentence is still pending before the Court of Appeal.
