The Court of Appeal in Abuja has refused an application for bail pending appeal filed by a former Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mr. Garba Mohammed Dukku, who was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment for diverting about N319 million in public funds.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in a statement issued on Thursday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Demola Bakare, said the appellate court held that the former FCTA official failed to establish any exceptional circumstance that would justify granting him bail while his appeal is pending.
According to the Commission, although the Court of Appeal declined the bail request, it approved an accelerated hearing of the substantive appeal to ensure the case is determined without unnecessary delay.
Mr. Dukku was convicted by the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, on six counts bordering on corruption and money laundering in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
During the trial, the ICPC established that between 2012 and 2013, the former AMMC finance director fraudulently diverted a total of ₦318.25 million belonging to the council into his personal Fidelity Bank account through several transactions. The funds were later transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized purposes.
The Commission told the court that the diverted sums included ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million and ₦36.3 million.
Although the convict claimed he handed the funds over to his superiors, the trial court rejected the defence, ruling that it was unsupported by credible evidence and that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Omotosho subsequently sentenced Dukku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, bringing the cumulative sentence to 24 years. The court also imposed an option of fine amounting to five times the value involved in each count, totaling about ₦1.6 billion.
Reacting to the latest ruling, the ICPC described the Court of Appeal’s decision as a reaffirmation that bail pending appeal is an exceptional remedy that must be backed by compelling circumstances.
The anti-corruption agency reiterated its commitment to the diligent prosecution of corruption cases and the protection of public resources from abuse and misappropriation.
