Court of Appeal Overturns Suspension of Kano Anti-Corruption Chief
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the suspension order against Muhuyi Magaji, chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The judgment was delivered on December 6 by a three-member panel led by Justice Umaru Fadawu, who directed that the case against Magaji be reassigned to a different CCT panel. Magaji faced ten charges from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for alleged breaches of the code of conduct for public officers. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared before the CCT, which is led by Danladi Umar. In April, the tribunal rejected Magaji’s objection to its jurisdiction and ordered his suspension to prevent potential interference in the case. This ruling also instructed the Kano State governor and the state secretary to appoint an acting chairman for the commission until the case was resolved. Dissatisfied with the tribunal's decision, Magaji appealed through his lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, arguing that his rights to a fair trial and hearing were violated. Adedipe contended that the CCT had effectively determined Magaji's guilt prematurely by suspending him at such an early stage. He also claimed that the tribunal exceeded its jurisdiction by issuing directives to parties not involved in the case, which he described as a miscarriage of justice. The lawyer further criticized the tribunal's assertion that Magaji could interfere with witnesses, noting that no evidence had been presented to support such claims. The appellate court agreed with these arguments, concluding that the CCT's suspension order was prejudicial and infringed on Magaji’s right to a fair hearing.
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