The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt on Thursday, May 14, 2026, upheld the conviction and sentence of George Turnah Alabh, affirming the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court in a case involving non-disclosure of assets and related financial offences.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Peter C. Obiorah held that the appeal lacked merit, ruling that the appellant was duly served the charge sheet and that the case did not constitute an abuse of court process despite a parallel civil action filed by the appellant.
The appellate court further agreed with the prosecution’s position that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) successfully proved that the appellant failed to declare his interest in Ashford Consult and Events Nigeria Limited in his asset declaration form submitted to the anti-graft agency during investigation.
Alabh was arraigned in 2017 on a four-count charge bordering on money laundering, obtaining by false pretence, abuse of office, and non-disclosure of assets. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at the trial stage before the Federal High Court.
The charges were filed before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, where the prosecution alleged that the defendant knowingly failed to disclose his interest as a director and majority shareholder in the company.
In its judgment delivered on May 20, 2022, the trial court found Alabh guilty on counts 1 and 3, convicting him for non-disclosure of assets under Section 27(1) and (3)(a) of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004, and sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each count.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Alabh filed an appeal in September 2023 through his counsel, Dr. A.G.O. Agorondi, seeking to overturn the conviction. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in its entirety, thereby affirming both conviction and sentence.