Rita Odafe
Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Kuai, two Chinese nationals, have been sentenced to three years in prison for corruption by the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division. According to Daily Trust, the two were initially arraigned before the Federal High Court on three counts of Conspiracy, Money Laundering, and attempted bribery. The two had offered a N50 million bribe to officials of the Sokoto Zonal Command of the EFCC. The lower court acquitted them of the charges, prompting an appeal from the anti-graft agency.
Justice Abubakar Mahmud Talba, delivering the judgment on Friday, noted that the EFCC had proven Counts 1 and 2 beyond reasonable doubt. He said that the trial judge had created doubts in his mind while discharging his responsibilities and had grossly misconceived that no offence was committed. Justice Talba further stated that conspiracy was a distinct offence even if the commission of the actual offence was aborted, and that there was positive cogent inescapable evidence that the offence was committed.
The two were thus convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment on each of the two counts, with an option of N10 Million fine each on each count. Justice Talba also stressed that the Courts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not condone corruption in any way, as President Muhammadu Buhari has said that if corruption is not stopped, it will kill Nigeria.
