The Supreme Court has upturned the conviction of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Nwobike. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned him before a Lagos State High Court for the perversion of justice.
The 18 counts bordered on attempting to pervert the course of justice, offering gratification to a public officer and giving false information to an EFCC official. He was convicted in 2018 on 12 of the counts by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi.
Nwobike was subsequently stripped of his SAN title.
Dissatisfied with his conviction, he appealed the matter but the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction.
However, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola on Monday quashed the conviction.
The court ruled that the EFCC lacked the power to prosecute anyone for the offence of perversion of justice.