Supreme Court Quashes Conviction Of Lawyer Prosecuted By EFCC

The Supreme Court has quashed the conviction of Joseph Nwobike, a lawyer, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Nwobike before a Lagos State high court on an 18-count charge bordering on “perversion of justice”.

According to the anti-graft agency, the lawyer attempted to subvert justice by offering gratification to a public officer and giving false information to an EFCC officer.

Nwobike was subsequently convicted on 12 of the counts by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi in 2018.

Following his conviction, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) stripped Nwobike of his SAN rank.

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 voided the conviction.

The court held that the EFCC lacked the power to prosecute anyone for the offence of perversion of justice.