The Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal has reversed the acquittal order handed down to Dasel Nanjiwan, a staff of NEPZA, the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, on an appeal filed by ICPC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
In the reversal, the appellate court sentenced and jailed Dasel Nanjwan for holding a private interest in a contract worth N342million.
According to a statement released by the ICPC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Mr Nanjwan was granted an acquittal by the Cross River State High Court in Calabar.
The ICPC had prosecuted Mr Nanjwan before a Cross River State High Court in Calabar, for “knowingly” holding a private interest in a N342 million contract connected with an office in which he is employed, thereby contravening section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
Nanjiwan, a member of the Technical Committee on the side of the federal government in a negotiation with General Electric (GE) Africa, on investments in the Calabar Free Trade Zone, was the owner and sole signatory to the account of Kwop-ri Services, the company that won the contract.
He was earlier discharged and acquitted of all charges levelled against him on May 19, 2019, in a judgement delivered at the High Court in Calabar by trial judge.
The ICPC filed an appeal at the Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal, where the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgement, set aside the decision of the lower court and sentenced the defendant to three years imprisonment.
The reversal of verdict was disclosed on Monday by Azuka Ogugua, the ICPC spokesperson.
