The council of state presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected a request for Francis Atuche, a former managing director of Bank PHB now
The council of state presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected a request for Francis Atuche, a former managing director of Bank PHB now Keystone Bank, to be pardoned.
The council of state is an organ of the federal government saddled with the responsibility of advising the executive on policy-making matters.
Atuche was sentenced to six years imprisonment by Justice Lateefat Okunnu after being convicted in June 2021 for committing fraud to the tune of N25.7 billion in a trial that lasted 12 years.
According to The Cable, the name of the former bank boss was among the 162 names presented to the council of state for clemency. Unfortunately, Atuche did not make the final list of 159 offenders granted pardon by the council.
Members of the Council of State who deliberated on the clemency list include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation; Babagana Monguno, national security adviser; Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the president; former heads of states, Yakubu Gowon, Abdusalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Jonathan.
