N24b Pension Fraud: Supreme Court Affirms John Yakubu’s 6-Year Jail Term

The Supreme Court has affirmed the six-year jail term handed the former Assistant Director in the Federal Civil Service, John Yusufu Yakubu convicted for his complicity in the conversion of about N24billion from the Police Pension Fund.

The apex court also ordered him to refund N22.9bn to the Federal Government.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had, in a judgment on May 22, 2018 reversed an earlier decision of Justice Abuabakar Talba of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which convicted him on a three-count charge and gave him an option of fine at N250,000 per count.

In its judgment in 2018, the Court of Appeal sentenced Yakubu to two years per count,to run consecutively, without an option of fine and ordered him to refund N22.9b.

A five-man panel of the Supreme Court, in a judgment on Wednesday, upheld the 2018 decision of the Court of Appeal.

The apex court held that Yusuf and others engaging in fraudulent practices must be told through court judgments that it is no longer business as usual.

Justice Abubakar said that the appeal of the former federal pension Director seeking to set aside the six years jail term against him was frivolous, vexatious and devoid of merit.

He further held that victims of the convicted Director deserved restitution which can only be achieved through justice.

Yusuf had dragged the Federal Government before the apex court seeking to overturn the six years imprisonment slammed on him by the Court of Appeal.

The former pensions director, who is serving the six years jail term at the Kuje prison, also asked the Supreme Court to set aside the whopping sum of N22.9 billion naira he was ordered to refund the government by the Court of Appeal in a 2018 judgment.

He was sent to prison in 2018 by the Court of Appeal in Abuja upon being found guilty of defrauding the Federal Government to the tune of N22.9 billion naira through Police Pensions.

In his appeal lodged with the Supreme Court, he prayed the apex court to set aside his conviction and the order that he should refund N22.9b.

His main grouse is that the the Court of Appeal mis-carried justice in its judgment.