Extradition Order: Ex- NSMPC Boss Wants Judgement Reversed, Heads For Appeal Court
SAN FRANCISCO, May 05, (THEWILL) – Embattled former Managing Director of Nigeria Security Minting and Printing Company (NSMPC), Emmanuel Ehidiamhem Okoyomon, whom an Abuja High Court ordered to be extradited to the United Kingdom within 30 days to face trial for alleged corruption and bribery charges, Tuesday took his case to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division for a reversal of Monday's judgement by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Okoyomon is also praying for a stay of execution of the extradition order of Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Abuja High Court pending the determination of his application at the Appellate Court.
Represented at the court by his counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, Okoyomon formulated four grounds why the decision of the Federal High Court should be set aside.
According to his counsel, “the learned trial Judge erred in law when he ordered the extradition of the appellant to Great Britain to stand criminal trial.”
Citing three particulars of error to support ground one, Iziyon said:
- There is no subsisting Act of the National Assembly or treaty between Nigeria and Great Britain upon which the decision of the court was premised.
- There was also no Order made by the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria applying the provisions of the Extradition Act. Cap E25, LFN 2004 to Great Britain as envisaged by Section 1(6) of the Extradition Act, Cap E25, LFN 2004.
- The Order for the Extradition of the Appellant is not supported by any legislation.
Izinyon, on ground two, submitted that “the learned trial court erred in law when he held that the Extradition Treaty between Great Britain and the United States of America signed at London on 22nd November, 1931 is applicable to Nigeria and ordered the extradition of the Appellant to Great Britain to stand trial, relying on the said treaty between Great Britain and the United States of America.”
He cited seven particulars of error, to support the ground two, where he stated that “the said treaty between the Great Britain and United States of America is not applicable to Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that Okoyomon ran into troubled waters when the The United Kingdom through the British High Commission forwarded an extradition request to the Federal Government for his extradition, requiring him to come and face trial over his alleged role in the bribery scandal involving officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the NSMPC and Securency International Pty of Australia between 2006 and 2008.
Okoyomon had objected to the application to extradite him urging the court to reject the AGF’s application as he contended that there was no existing treaty between Nigeria and the UK to warrant the extradition of his client.
In a decision delivered Monday by Justice Evoh Chukwu after several failed attempts, the court said all laid down procedures for the extradition application to succeed had been met.
The judge, who held that there was an existing extradition treaty between UK and Nigeria, ordered the AGF to extradite Okoyomon to the UK within 30 days.