The Court of Appeal, Gombe Division, has upheld the conviction and five-year jail term of Yobe State Local Government Auditor General, Alhaji Idris Yahaya.
Yahaya faced prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of criminal misappropriation involving N19.9 million.
Earlier, on March 13, 2023, Justice Muhammad Lawu Lawan of the Yobe State High Court had convicted and sentenced Yahaya for misappropriating funds received from the Office of the Auditor General for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Yobe State.
The charge stated that Yahaya, between May 20th to 21st, 2017, received N19.9 million for the purchase of an official vehicle, a 2015 Toyota Corolla, and dishonestly misappropriated N10.1 million for personal use.
Dissatisfied with the lower court’s decision, Yahaya appealed, presenting five grounds and seeking to overturn Justice Lawan’s judgment.
The EFCC, represented by counsel Mukhtar Ali, argued in favor of upholding the conviction, asserting that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In a statement released on Saturday, the EFCC announced that the three-man panel, led by Justice A. A. B. Gumel, upheld Yahaya’s conviction. The panel unanimously dismissed the appeal, affirming the judgment of the trial court and reinforcing the stance that the prosecution had successfully proven the case.
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