Justice Tijani Abubakar, of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Abuja, on Wednesday, upheld the 2018 judgment of the Court of Appeal where it slammed the punishment of 6years imprisonment on a former Federal Director of Pensions (FDP), Mr John Yakubu Yusuf, for the misappropriation of N22.9bn which was part of the Police Pension Fund
Justice Abubakar, also ordered Yusuf, to refund the N22.9bn to government coffers as previously ruled by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme court maintained that Yusuf and others engaging in fraudulent practices must be taught a lesson and made to understand that it was no longer business as usual
The Apex court handed two years imprisonment for each of the three-count charges which altogether, amounted to 6yrs
The former pension Director had dragged the Federal Government before the Supreme court claiming that the Court of Appeal miscarried justice in its judgment against him in 2018
Yusuf prayed the court to set aside the 2018 conviction by the court of Appeal, where he made the request, that the Apex court overturn the six years imprisonment slammed on him by the Court of Appeal as well as set aside the N22.9 billion he was ordered to refund to government coffers.
Justice Abubakar stated that Yusuf’s appeal seeking to set aside the six years of jail term against him by the appellate court was frivolous, vexatious and devoid of merit. He added that Yusuf’s victims deserved restitution which can only be achieved through justice.
Yusuf is presently serving a six years jail term, at the Kuje Custodial Centre, after he was sent to prison in 2018, by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, upon being found guilty of defrauding the Federal Government of an N22.9billion Police Pensions fund
