The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday restrained the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria from conducting investigations into alleged financial impropriety levelled against the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
In his ruling in a suit instituted by Sanusi to bar the FRCN from probing him, Justice John Tsoho held that given the circumstances, the FRCN had not complied with the provisions of the law.
In granting Sanusi’s prayers, the judge said that allowing the probe to go on could be likened to the case of the proverbial cockroach, which found itself in the midst of fowls.
He said the cockroach under such circumstance was presumed guilty, adding that “since prevention is better than cure” the court should rule against the proposed investigation.
He had urged the court to stop the investigation into the CBN records during his tenures as governor on the ground that FRCN had found him guilty before commencing the probe.
The judge said the commission had already reached its conclusion as to the culpability of Sanusi, given the commission’s briefing note attached to the letter suspending him as the CBN governor on February 20, 2014, and newspaper advertisement inviting him for the probe,.
Sanusi, through his counsel, Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN), insisted that the suspended CBN boss had not been given the benefit of fair hearing.
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