Hidden assets: Court rules Abba Kyari has case to answer

Kyari

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed the no-case submission filed by suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and his two brothers in the criminal case instituted against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

Kyari, alongside his brothers, Mohammed and Ali, is being prosecuted by the NDLEA on 23 counts, bordering on full disclosure of their assets.

The agency also accused them of disguising the ownership of properties and converting proceeds of crime — offences punishable under Section 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act and Section 15(3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

To prove the charges, the prosecution called 10 witnesses and tendered at least 20 exhibits.

In response, however, Kyari and his brothers filed no-case submissions, arguing that the NDLEA failed to establish a prima facie case that would warrant them to put in any defence.

However, in a ruling on Tuesday, , Justice James Omotosho dismissed the no-case submissions, holding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the defendants, warranting them to open their defence.

“In view of all the exhibits and the evidence of the prosecution, the defendants need to offer explanations in this regard,” the judge stated. Punch