The Federal Government has filed a notice of appeal challenging the July 24 verdict of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which acquitted former National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Executive Secretary, Olufemi Thomas, of multiple money laundering charges.
The 28-page appeal, lodged at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, outlines 11 grounds on which the government contests the decision delivered by Justice Olayinka Faji.
Justice Faji had discharged Thomas on five of six counts brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), citing the commission’s failure to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. He noted that the EFCC admitted during trial that it had not investigated several claims made by the defendant, thereby failing to establish unlawful enrichment.
The court also ordered the EFCC to return funds seized from Thomas within 14 days, contingent upon his payment of a ₦10 million fine. This fine was imposed after Thomas was found guilty on one count—making a cash payment above the ₦5 million legal threshold.
Unhappy with the ruling, EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, argued that the judge erred in law by relying on “imaginary and fanciful doubt” to dismiss the allegations in counts 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the amended charge.
The EFCC maintains that Thomas laundered unexplained wealth accrued during his tenure as a public official, and that his attempts to justify the income were riddled with contradictions in both oral and documentary evidence.
