On Wednesday, the Supreme Court affirmed the Appeal Court judgement sentencing a former Federal Director of Pensions (FDP) John Yusuf, to six years imprisonment for misappropriation of a N22.9 billion police pension fund.

Justice Tijjani Abubakar, in his lead judgement, in an appeal by Mr Yusuf,  challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, upheld the lower court’s decision, saying it was in order.

Mr Abubakar said that the appeal of the former federal pension director seeking to set aside the six years of jail term against him was frivolous, vexatious and devoid of merit.

He further held that victims of the convicted director deserved restitution which could only be achieved through justice.

However, the apex court, in its unanimous judgement, held that the 2016 judgment of the Abuja High Court, which sentenced Mr Yusuf to two years imprisonment with an option of N750, 000 was a slap on the wrist.

Mr Abubakar said that the plea bargain at the high court and the ruling of the Judge was not only bizarre, and embarrassing but ridiculous and unacceptable.

“The sentence at the high court was meagre, insufficient and ridiculous in view of the huge negative impacts the fraudulent action of the convict must have caused the pensioners,” Mr Abubakar said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC had arraigned the former pension boss before FCT High Court in 2016, where he admitted committing the fraud and subsequently entered into a plea bargain with the anti-graft agency.

Justice Abubakar Talba of the court had upon the plea bargain sentenced the former director to two years imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine, which he promptly paid and escaped imprisonment.

Irked by the sentence considered too ridiculous, EFCC had challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

The Court of Appeal, in its 2018  judgement, quashed the plea bargain, sentenced the former director to six years imprisonment without the option of a fine, and ordered him to refund the N22.9 billion to the coffer of the federal government.

Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, Yusuf approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s judgment on a gross miscarriage of justice.

He asked the apex court to overturn the six years imprisonment and reverse its order against him. 

(NAN)