THE candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano Central Senatorial district, Alhaji Abdussalam Abdulkarim, popularly known as AA Zaura has approached the Supreme Court seeking to upturn the judgement of the Court of Appeal that ordered a fresh trial in a case involving him.
It will be recalled that a Court of Appeal, Kano Division had on April 13, 2022, in its lead judgement delivered by Justice Abdullahi Mahmoud Bayero set aside the judgement of Federal High Court delivered on June 9, 2020, by Justice Lewis Allagoa that discharged and acquitted the Kano politician.
The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) sometime last year took Zaura to a Federal High Court in Kano and accused him of defrauding à Kuwaiti $1,320,000 which he obtained through false pretence, claiming he was a developer who specialised in buildings in Dubai, Kuwait and some Arabs countries.
Justice Bayero also in the lead judgement ordered that the defendant be tried afresh by a different judge other than Justice Allagoa.
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“Having determined the issue in favour of the appellant, the appeal naturally succeeds. The judgment of the lower court in suit number FHCK/CR2018/ FRN against Abdulsalam Sale Abdulkarim delivered on June 9th, 2020 is hereby set aside,” the judge had ruled.
Disturbed by the landmark verdict Abdussalam Zaura had on April 14, 2022, through his counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Waru filed a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court containing 6 grounds, challenging the order for his retrial.
The information gathered from the Court of Appeal, Kano Division had it that records of Appeal was subsequently transmitted to the Supreme Court on April 25, 2022.
It was also gathered that the appellant brief has already been filed on July 20, 2022, and that EFCC has been served.
Barring any last minute change, the Supreme Court is billed to fix a date for hearing as the case under purview falls under “fastrack proceeding of the Apex Court.”
However, a reliable lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity said “the matter involving huge sum of money or Foreign National/Expatriate qualified under fastrack proceeding at the Apex court.”