The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, affirming his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 at an international airport.
In a unanimous decision, the apex court held that the appeal lacked merit and upheld the rulings of the lower courts.
Aminu was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while preparing to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt.
According to the prosecution, Aminu declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) but was found in possession of an additional $40,000 that was not disclosed on his currency declaration form.
He was subsequently charged before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count charge of false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
On July 12, 2015, the trial court convicted Aminu and ordered him to forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the Federal Government.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, Aminu appealed to the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, seeking to overturn the conviction and set aside the forfeiture order.
However, in a judgment delivered on December 7, 2015, the appellate court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the trial court’s decision.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has now put a final seal on the case.
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