Appeal Court orders retrial of Kano APC guber aspirant over $1.3m fraud

A decision reached by a three-member panel of judges of the court,set aside an earlier judgement of a Federal High Court sitting in Kano delivered by Justice Abdullahi Bayero, which had discharged and acquitted Zaura.

The Appellate court ordered the retrial of the defendant to be undertaken by a court other than that of Justice Allagia.

Zaura was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge bordering on defrauding a Kuwaiti national by obtaining the sum of $1,320,000 under the pretext that he (Zaura) is in the business of building properties in Dubai, Kuwait and other Arab countries.

On June 9 , 2020, the Federal High Court presided by Justice Allagia found the defendant not guilty on all the counts and discharged him accordingly.

Unsatisfied with the judgement of the lower court, the EFCC decided to appeal the judgement on the grounds that the accused person was absent when the judgement was delivered contrary to Supreme Court rulings which held that an accused person must always be present in court throughout his trial including judgement.

It was in that regard that the Court of Appeal found merit in the appeal and upheld same accordingly.

“Having determined the issue in favour of the appellant, the appeal naturally succeeds. The judgement of the lower court in suit number FHCK/CR2018/ FRN against Abdulsalam Sale Abdulkarim delivered on June 9th, 2020 is hereby set aside,” said the appeal court.