The Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal has convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuai to six years imprisonment.
The duo were sentenced to prison on Friday on two of three-count charges bordering on conspiracy, money laundering and attempted bribery to the tune of N50 million brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
According to a statement by EFCC, it was a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Abubakar Mahmud Talba on the appeal of the Commission against the judgement of the Federal High Court, Sokoto which discharged and acquitted the respondents. The appellate court found the respondents guilty of counts one and two and sentenced both to three years imprisonment for each of the counts, with an option of a N10 million fine on each count.
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Justice Talba held that the EFCC had proved counts one and two of the charge before the Federal High Court beyond reasonable doubt but agreed with the lower court on count 3 and accordingly struck it out on grounds that a similar charge was pending before the Sokoto High Court.
According to Justice Talba, the respondents are charged with conspiracy and making a cash payment in excess of the threshold provided by the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) to Abdullahi Lawal, the then Zonal Head of EFCC Sokoto which was established beyond a reasonable doubt before the lower court but surprisingly the trial Judge summersault in his judgement and recanted.
Justice Talba, therefore, held that the appeal was immensely meritorious and convicted and sentenced the Chinese nationals to three years on each of the two counts with an option of a N10 million fine each on each count.
He added that the respondents are Chinese and an offence of this gravity in their home country attracts the death penalty but in Nigeria, they are corrupting the country. He stressed that the courts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not condone corruption in any way.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
