A Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Thursday, acquitted media mogul, Alhaji Raymond Dokpesi and his firm, Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited of the money laundering allegations and breach of Procurement Act brought against them in relation to N2.1 billion meant for arms purchase.
A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, in the unanimous judgement struck out the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had earlier rejected the no-case argument of Dopkesi.
The appeal court, upheld the two appeals case filed before it by Dokpesi and the Daar Investment.
Reading the judgment, Justice Elfreda Wiialims-Daudu, a member of the three-man panel ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the elements of the offences charge to warrant the appellants to be called upon to enter defence.
It would be recalled that, Dokpesi and Daar Investment were tried before the Federal High Court on a seven-count charge of money laundering and breach of Procurement Act by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency alleged that Dokpesi was part of the mastermind of the arms procurement deal which resulted in the embezzlement of $2billion through the office of the National Security Adviser, under the leadership of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser.
Upon the conclusion of the hearing, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had rejected the no-case submission filed by Dokpesi and his firm and ordered him to open his defence in the trial.
However, Dokpesi approached the court of appeal, leading to the upturning of the trial court’s decision, Thursday.
