Report by SUNTV Global Channel
Nigeria’s apex court has drawn the curtain on a long-running corruption case involving former lawmaker Albert Bassey, affirming his conviction and seven-year prison sentence over a N240 million fraud.
In a unanimous ruling delivered Friday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, led by Justice Stephen Jonah Adah, upheld earlier judgments that found the former senator guilty of corruption and bribery while serving as Akwa Ibom State’s Commissioner for Finance.
The court also reinstated a restitution order compelling Bassey to refund N204 million to Akwa Ibom State, correcting what it described as a legal error made by the appellate court when it earlier set aside the repayment directive.
Bassey, who represented Akwa Ibom North-East in the Senate between 2015 and 2023, had been prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations that he received 12 luxury vehicles valued at about N254 million as bribes during his tenure as finance commissioner.
In December 2022, a Federal High Court convicted him on seven counts and imposed seven-year sentences on each count, to run concurrently.
The conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, which controversially introduced an option of fine — a move that triggered further legal contest at the Supreme Court.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Adah ruled that while the appeal court correctly affirmed the conviction, it erred by nullifying the trial court’s restitution order.
“The proper order,” the court held, “is the restoration of the refund of N204 million to the state.”
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Bassey’s conviction, seven-year jail term, and the refund order are now final and binding, effectively closing one of Nigeria’s most closely watched corruption cases involving a former federal lawmaker.
SUNTV Global Channel reports that the ruling reinforces the judiciary’s stance on accountability in public office and sends a strong signal in the country’s ongoing anti-corruption drive.
