A high Court of the Federal Capital Territory has imposed a fine of N10Million on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC) over malicious prosecution of a Public Servant, Emmanuel Ibe.
Justice Inyang Ekwo while delivering the judgement held that the amount is to be paid by the ICPC to Emmanuel as general damages for the unnecessary trauma and disruption in the life and career processing of the worker during the three years’ trial.
The plaintiff who is a Director of Finance and Administration at the Police Service Commission PSC in Abuja was put on trial for three years by ICPC at a high court of the Federal Capital Territory.
He was, however, discharged and acquitted by the court from the 9-count criminal charges bothering on corruption, fraud and dishonesty involving N275. 5M.
Delivering judgment in his suit against ICPC in which he demanded N500M compensation for the ordeals he was made to suffer, Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the federal high court in Abuja held that the anti-graft agency acted beyond the scope of its statutory power in the ways and manners the trial was handled.
Justice Ekwo agreed with the plaintiff that he was exposed to three years of unnecessary discomfort and destructions of his life by the action of ICPC.
The Judge said that ICPC was wicked and callous in all the events that led to the arrest, investigation of Emmanuel and the three years’ trial that ought not to have been carried out in the first instance.
