The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the conviction and seven-year prison sentence handed to Senator Albert Bassey and ordered him to refund N204 million to the Akwa Ibom State government.
In a unanimous decision delivered on February 27, 2026, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Stephen Jonah Adah, upheld the earlier judgments of the trial court and the Court of Appeal, but restored the order of restitution that had been set aside at the appellate level.
Justice Adah held that while the Court of Appeal was right to affirm the conviction and sentence imposed on June 23, 2023, it erred in voiding the restitution order earlier made by the trial court.
“The order of this court is that the conviction and sentencing imposed by the lower court… is hereby affirmed, but the order of the lower court avoiding the order of restitution given by the trial court did not follow the law.
“It is revised and the right order is to nullify same and thereby the restitution of the sum of N204 million made by the trial court is restored,” he ruled.
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Bassey’s legal troubles began after his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations that he received 12 vehicles valued at N254 million as bribes while serving as commissioner for finance in Akwa Ibom State.
He was arraigned before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court in Uyo and convicted on all seven counts.
On December 1, 2022, the court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on each count, amounting to a cumulative 42 years.
Dissatisfied, Bassey approached the Court of Appeal, where a three-man panel led by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo upheld his conviction but introduced an option of fine.
