Supreme Court Rules Against Lamido’s Son in $40,000 Undeclared Funds Case

The appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, the son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, contesting his conviction for failing to disclose $40,000 at the airport, was rejected by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

In a five-member panel’s unanimous ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court decided all three of the arguments put out for decision against the appellant and declared the appeal to be without merit.

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal and sustained the previous ruling of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, which had maintained Aminu Lamido’s conviction by the Federal High Court, Kano, in the lead judgment written by Justice Adamu Jauro and read by Justice Abubakar Umar.

The prosecution had adequately proven the accusations made against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the supreme court concurred with the lower courts.

The EFCC charged Aminu Lamido with violating applicable financial regulations by failing to report foreign currency and making fraudulent disclosures at the airport.

The Federal High Court, Kano, found him guilty and mandated that 25% of the unreported foreign currency be forfeited to the Federal Government in its ruling on July 12, 2015.

Aminu Lamido went to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal had previously supported the trial court’s ruling. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court decided that there was no reason to overturn the two lower courts’ concurrent rulings.