N1.6bn fraud: Supreme court upholds conviction and 12-year sentencing of former Taraba governor, Jolly Nyame

TRACKING___The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and 12-year prison sentencing handed to former Taraba state governor, Reverend Jolly Nyame, for stealing N1.6 billion from the state coffers while he was governor from May 1999 to May 2007.In a unanimous judgement delivered by a five-man panel of Justices led by Justice May Odili this morning Friday February 7th, the judges said the appeal filed by Nyame for his conviction and sentencing to be reversed lacked merit.Recall that in May 2018, Justice Adebukola Banjoko of an Abuja High Court found the former governor guilty on 27 out of the 41-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him. Specifically, the court sentenced him to 14 years for criminal breach of trust, 2 years for misappropriation, 7 years for gratification and 5 years for obtaining valuable public properties without consideration.The ex-governor approached the Court of Appeal for his sentencing to be reversed. The appellate court on November 16th 2018, upheld his conviction but reduced the sentence which is running concurrently, to 12 years, 5 years, 4 years and one-year and nine months, respectively, with fines ranging from N100m to N5m.The Supreme court in its judgement this morning, nullified the option of fine handed to the former governor.