Fresh facts are now emerging on why the Federal Government last week withdrew the charges against Elder Godson Orubebe, a former minister in charge of the Ministry of Niger Delta in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan who was arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, on allegations of false declaration of assets.
Sources confirmed that the decision to withdraw the charges was based on a legal advice from the Federal Ministry of Justice in which it was strongly canvassed that the case against Orubebe as presently constructed and filed was fundamentally defective.
The legal advice from the Ministry of Justice was to the effect that since Orubebe was not invited to make a statement on the allegations against him, the process of arraignment was fundamentally flawed.
The legal advice referred to Section 379 sub-section (1) (a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 which listed the ingredients that must be forwarded as part the process to be filed by the prosecution before the commencement of the case as including in (iv) “ copies of statements of the defendant”.
