The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the conviction and seven-year prison sentence handed to Senator Albert Bassey over a multi-million-naira fraud case involving public funds.
Delivering judgment on Friday, February 27, 2026, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Stephen Jonah Adah, upheld the earlier decisions of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal which found the former lawmaker guilty.
The court also restored the restitution order initially granted by the trial court, directing the senator to refund N204 million to Akwa Ibom State Government.
Justice Adah, while delivering the lead judgment, held that although the appellate court affirmed the conviction, it erred by setting aside the restitution order earlier imposed by the trial court.
“The conviction and sentencing imposed by the lower court on June 23, 2023, are hereby affirmed. However, the decision avoiding the restitution order did not follow the law and is therefore nullified. The restitution of N204 million made by the trial court is restored,” he ruled.
Bassey’s legal troubles began following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by prosecution counsel Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
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The anti-graft agency had charged the former Commissioner for Finance with receiving bribes in the form of 12 vehicles valued at N254 million during his tenure in office.
On December 1, 2022, the Federal High Court convicted him on all seven counts and imposed seven years imprisonment on each count, amounting to a cumulative 42-year sentence.
Bassey subsequently challenged the judgment at the appellate court, where a three-man panel headed by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo upheld the conviction while introducing an option of fine.
However, the Supreme Court has now struck out aspects of that ruling and reinstated the restitution order, effectively bringing the prolonged legal battle to a decisive conclusion.