All You Need To Know About Tinubu’s Alleged $460k Forfeiture Over Cocaine Links [FULL DETAILS]
However, this claim is not supported by the court documents, which do not refer to the forfeited sum being a tax.
“An indictment is different from conviction”
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has used the allegations of cocaine links and forfeiture to challenge Tinubu’s victory in court.
The outcome of this legal challenge is still uncertain.
However, an Abuja-based criminal litigation lawyer, Bar. Fatihu AbdulRaheem, in 2022 had suggested that the case is more of an indictment than a conviction, meaning that Obi’s prayers for Tinubu’s sacking may not be granted in court.
AbdulRaheem cited the case of Umana vs. Attah (2004), in which the court ruled that an indictment is not evidence of an offence having been committed.
He said: “Technically speaking, an indictment is merely a charge or information. It is only when it is accepted by the court that the prosecution will be called upon to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“Conviction has been simply defined by the court in Mohammed V Olawunmi (1990) as a finding of guilt and a sentence
“Therefore, under our criminal jurisprudence, conviction and indictment are distinguishable both in substance and nomenclature.
“Even in the United State when a person is indicted, it only means they will be given formal notice that they are believed to have committed a crime and therefrom, an explanation will be required by way of defence.”
It is worth concluding that Tinubu, who is a prominent Nigerian politician has not been convicted of any crimes related to this case or any other case involving drug trafficking, as of the moment this publication was made.
