Kano APC guber aspirant faces fresh trial over $1,320,000 fraud

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kano yesterday set aside the judgment of a Kano Federal High Court that discharged and acquitted a frontline Kano gubernatorial aspirant , popularly known as AA Zaura.

Dissatisfied with the judgment of the lower court, counsel representing the prosecution, Musa Isah took the matter to the court of appeal in a bid to overturn the judgment of the lower court.

In a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of judges of the court of appeal, delivered by Justice Abdullahi M. Bayero, the judgment of the Federal High Court was set aside.

Bayero also ordered that the defendant be tried afresh by a different judge other than Justice Allagoa.

The main point of contention in the appeal was that the accused person was absent when the judgment was delivered and based on several judgment of the Supreme Court, it was held that an accused person must always be present in court throughout his trial including judgment.

It was on that regard that the court of appeal found merit in the appeal and upheld same accordingly.

“Having determined the issue in favour of the appellant, the appeal naturally succeeds. The judgment of the lower court in suit number FHCK/CR2018/ FRN against Abdulsalam Abdulkarim delivered on June 9th, 2020 is hereby set aside,” the panel held.

Bayero further ordered that the case be reverted back to the Federal High Court and begin afresh.

It was gathered that Mr Zaura was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) on a five-count charge before the Federal High Court sitting in Kano.

The Commission had accused Zaura of defrauding a Kuwaiti national by obtaining the sum of $1,320,000 under the pretext that he is in the business of building properties in Dubai, Kuwait and other Arab countries.

On the 9th June 2020, Justice Lewis Allagoa found the defendant not guilty and discharged him on all counts. (THISDAY)