AfriPulse
The Supreme Court has upheld the extradition of former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Emmanuel Okoyomon, to the United Kingdom, bringing to a close a prolonged legal battle against his transfer to face allegations of international bribery.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed Okoyomon’s appeal, ruling that it lacked merit and affirming the decisions of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The appeal challenged the June 6, 2016 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had upheld the May 4, 2015 ruling of the Federal High Court authorizing Okoyomon’s extradition following an application by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
With the Supreme Court’s verdict, the legal obstacles to Okoyomon’s extradition have been removed, paving the way for his transfer to the United Kingdom, where authorities are seeking to prosecute him over alleged bribery involving officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the NSPMC, and Australian banknote technology company Securency International Pty Ltd.
In the earlier appellate court decision, Justice Moore Adumein held that Nigeria was obligated to honour its commitments under the London Scheme for Extradition within the Commonwealth as well as the provisions of the country’s Extradition Act.
The court found that the relevant international agreements had been substantially incorporated into Nigerian law, making the extradition request legally valid.
The Court of Appeal further ruled that the Attorney General had presented sufficient grounds to justify the extradition request, while Okoyomon failed to establish convincing reasons why the application should be denied.
Addressing arguments raised by the former NSPMC chief, Justice Adumein held that the issue of whether Okoyomon possessed British citizenship was not central to the extradition proceedings and did not affect the merits of the case. The court noted that he failed to demonstrate that any alleged procedural omission regarding the issue resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
The appellate court subsequently dismissed the appeal after resolving the principal issues against him.
In its final determination, the Supreme Court agreed with the findings of the lower courts, affirming the Court of Appeal’s judgment in its entirety. The apex court, however, declined to award costs against Okoyomon.
The ruling marks a significant development in one of Nigeria’s most prominent international anti-corruption and extradition cases, reinforcing the country’s commitment to fulfilling its legal obligations under international extradition agreements.
Source: FirstWeeklyMagazine | Read the Full Story…
