Court Acquits Ex-NDDC Director Tuoyo Omatsuli, Others in ₦3.6bn Trial

Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli, a former Executive Director of Projects at the Niger Delta Development Commission, has been cleared of money laundering allegations by a Federal High Court in Lagos. Justice Daniel Osiagor ruled that the prosecution did not sufficiently establish the offences contained in the 46-count charge filed against him and three others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The court held that the anti-graft agency failed to provide credible proof to back claims of conspiracy, money laundering and aiding and abetting. It also questioned the foundation of the investigation, which was reportedly launched based on “credible intelligence” without a formal petition.

Omatsuli was tried alongside Francis Momoh, Don Parker Properties Limited and Building Associates Limited over an alleged ₦3.6 billion fraud said to contravene provisions of the Money Laundering Act. Despite the volume of evidence presented during the retrial, including testimonies from 16 witnesses and 34 exhibits, the court found the case unproven.

The verdict brings to a close a legal dispute that began in 2018. The defendants had earlier been acquitted in 2020 before the EFCC secured an appeal that led to a fresh trial, which has now ended with another not-guilty ruling.