Appeal Court upturns Orubebe's conviction for false asset declaration

The Court of Appeal has set aside the conviction of former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godsday Orubebe by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
A three-man panel of the court sitting in Abuja held yesterday that the CCT, headed by Danladi Umar, was wrong to have convicted Orubebe for false asset declaration when he had sold the property he was accused of not declaring.
Justice Abdu Aboki, who read the lead judgment, faulted the CCT’s conclusions in its judgment of October 4, 2016, allowed the appeal by Orubebe and proceeded to discharge and acquit him.
In allowing the appeal, Justice Aboki held that the issue before the trial tribunal was not declaration of title,  but false declaration of assets, and as such, the unregistered instrument of transfer are admissible in proof of the payment of purchase price, which shows that Divention Properties Ltd had acquired the property. Read more