Supreme Court quashes SAN’s conviction, overrules EFCC

Supreme Court, on Monday, quashed the conviction of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Nwobike.

Anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had dragged Nwobike before a Lagos State High Court for the perversion of justice.

He was arraigned on an 18-count charge bearing on attempts to pervert the course of justice, offering gratification to a public officer and giving false information to an EFCC official.

Justice Raliatu Adebiyi subsequently convicted Nwobike in 2018 on 12 of the counts.

The lawyer’s SAN title was later withdrawn.

Nwobike, who was displeased with his conviction, appealed the matter but the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction.

But on Monday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola quashed Nwobike’s conviction.

The apex court justices ruled that the anti-graft agency lacked the power to prosecute anyone for the offence of perversion of justice.