TheCable

A High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has discharged Mohammed Abacha, son of late former head of state, General Sani Abacha, for allegedly receiving N100.38 billion worth of  stolen property.

The office of the attorney-general of the federation had filed a nine-count charge against Abacha on behalf of the federal government.

But Justice Mamman Kolo of the FCT High Court discharged Abacha on Wednesday after counsel to the federal government, Mr. Daniel Enwelum, made an oral application asking the court to withdraw the criminal charges against the suspect.

The judge also granted the application for discontinuation of trial, which was not opposed by the defence counsel, Mr Abdullahi Haruna.

At the resumed hearing of the case, the federal government’s counsel told the court that he was instructed by the AGF to withdraw the charges.

Enwelum argued that the application became necessary in view of emerging facts and circumstances of the case.

The prosecution thereafter filed a notice of discontinuation of the case.

The federal government had hired Enwelum to prosecute the case to the end, the AGF alleging that Abacha had received property worth N100.38 billion between 1995 and 1998, which was acquired unlawfully by the father and later forfeited to government.

The federal government had instituted a 121-count charge against the younger Abacha, accusing him of “dishonestly receiving stolen property and voluntarily assisting in concealing money”, all from his late father.

Only in April 2014, it filed an amended nine-count criminal charge against Abacha, claiming that the stolen money he received comprised £141,100,000 and $384,353,000 in cash and travellers’ cheques.