The Supreme Court of Nigeria has upheld the conviction and seven-year prison sentence of former Akwa Ibom North-East Senator, Albert Bassey Akpan, over a bribery scandal involving exotic cars.
Akpan, who represented Akwa Ibom North-East in the Senate from 2015 to 2023, was found guilty of receiving 12 exotic vehicles valued at over N254 million from companies that handled a N3 billion contract for the Akwa Ibom State Government while he served as Commissioner for Finance.
He was convicted for breaching provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), following a judgment earlier delivered by the Federal High Court in Oyo, which sentenced him to seven years in prison and ordered restitution.
Although the Court of Appeal dismissed his earlier appeal, it declined to uphold the trial court’s restitution order, prompting further legal action that eventually reached the apex court.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a five-man panel led by Justice Stephen Adah, the Supreme Court dismissed Akpan’s appeal, affirmed his conviction and sentence, and restored the trial court’s order directing him to pay N204 million in restitution.
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