Title: ₦204m Fraud: Supreme Court Upholds Seven-Year Jail Term for Senator Albert Bassey, Restores Restitution Order Date Published: 28 February 2026 Description: The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the conviction and seven-year prison sentence imposed on Senator Albert Bassey over a ₦204 million fraud, while restoring the restitution order earlier made by the trial court.In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, February 27, 2026, a five-man panel of the apex court, led by Justice Stephen Jonah Adah, upheld the decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeal that found Bassey guilty. The court, however, faulted the appellate court for setting aside the restitution order and reinstated the directive that the convict refund ₦204 million to Akwa Ibom State.Justice Adah held that while the conviction and sentence handed down on June 23, 2023, were sound in law, the Court of Appeal erred by nullifying the trial court’s restitution order. He ruled that the proper course was to restore the refund of the misappropriated funds as ordered by the Federal High Court.Bassey’s conviction stemmed from his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court, Uyo. The anti-graft agency charged him with receiving bribes in the form of 12 luxury vehicles valued at about ₦254 million while he served as Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom State.On December 1, 2022, the trial court convicted Bassey on all seven counts and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently, amounting to seven years, alongside an order of restitution.Dissatisfied with the judgment, Bassey appealed to the Court of Appeal. A three-man panel led by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo upheld the conviction but set aside the restitution order, a decision that prompted further appeal to the Supreme Court.In its final pronouncement, the apex court dismissed Bassey’s appeal in its entirety, affirmed his conviction and sentence, and reinstated the restitution order, bringing the long-running prosecution to a close. Attached Images: f33ba21002ab74234d2a0c7bc1f8a0a5b49ce74ffaf36475263e4993b4c5512e.jpg Attached Video: None