On July 27, 2007, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, to two years imprisonment for corruption and money laundering.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgment, found the former governor guilty on 6 of the 23 counts of money laundering, abuse of office and corrupt enrichment brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The court also ordered the immediate forfeiture of all cash, houses and other assets traced to Alamieyeseigha to the Bayelsa State Government.
Prosecutors told the court that between 1999 and 2005, Alamieyeseigha acquired properties worth millions of naira in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Cyprus and South Africa using state funds and through proxies.
The EFCC had arrested him in Lagos in September 2005 after he jumped bail in London, where he was facing separate money laundering charges. He was later impeached by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
In her judgment, Justice Nyako held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the former governor used his office to illegally enrich himself.
“The law must take its course irrespective of status. The 2nd defendant is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment on each of the six counts. The sentences are to run concurrently,” the judge ruled.
She further ordered that all properties listed by the EFCC, including homes in Abuja, Lagos and Yenagoa, as well as cash found in various accounts, be forfeited to the Bayelsa State Government.
Alamieyeseigha, dressed in a white kaftan, showed no emotion as the sentence was read. His counsel said they would study the judgment and decide on an appeal.
EFCC Chairman Mallam Nuhu Ribadu described the verdict as “a victory for the rule of law and a warning to public officers.”
Bayelsa State Government officials welcomed the forfeiture order, saying the recovered assets would be used for development projects in the state.
Alamieyeseigha was taken into custody immediately after the ruling to begin his sentence at Kuje Prisons, Abuja.
