Supreme Court Affirms Conviction Of Lamido’s Son Over Undeclared $40,000

According to Ireporter Online, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, challenging his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 at an airport.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday by a five-member panel, the apex court resolved all three issues raised for determination against the appellant, holding that the appeal was devoid of merit. The court consequently upheld the decisions of the two lower courts.

The lead judgment, authored by Justice Adamu Jauro and read by Justice Abubakar Umar, affirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, which had earlier sustained the conviction handed down by the Federal High Court in Kano.

The Supreme Court agreed with the findings of the trial and appellate courts that the prosecution successfully established the charges against Aminu Lamido beyond reasonable doubt. The charges were brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and bordered on failure to declare foreign currency and making false declarations at the airport, in violation of applicable financial regulations.

Aminu Lamido was initially convicted by the Federal High Court, Kano, on July 12, 2015, with the court ordering the forfeiture of 25 per cent of the undeclared foreign currency to the Federal Government. The conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court.

In dismissing the appeal, the apex court ruled that there was no justification to interfere with the concurrent findings of fact and law reached by the two lower courts, thereby bringing the legal battle to an end.