Kotun Koli Ta Tabbatar da Ikon Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari Kan Rikice-rikicen Kasuwar Jari An wallafa: April 5, 2023

Kotun Koli ta tabbatar da ikon Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari kan rikice-rikicen kasuwar jari:

(Bita kan SC/314/2007 – Mufutau Ajaji vs SEC).

A ranar 13 ga Janairu 2023, Kotun Koli ta Najeriya ta yanke hukunci mai matuƙar muhimmanci ga warware rikice-rikicen kasuwar jari. Wannan a shari’ar Mufutau Ajayi vs SEC mai lambar Kotun Koli SC/314/2007 ne. Masu aiki da yawa a kasuwar jari sun daɗe suna jiran sakamakon shari’ar, wadda ta shafe shekaru 15 tana gaban Kotun Koli kafin a yanke hukunci a ƙarshe.

Bayanan Asali.

A shekarar 2000, National Council on Privatization ta bayar da hannun jari na gama-gari na AP Plc guda 86,400,000 don sayarwa a madadin Gwamnatin Tarayya. Bayan shekara guda (wato a Afrilu 2001), wani babban mai zuba jari a AP Plc ya yi zargin a taron manema labarai cewa tsohuwar hukumar gudanarwar kamfanin ta kasa bayyana bashin N22.5 biliyan da masu ba da rance daban-daban ke bin kamfanin. Ya kuma yi zargin cewa masu binciken asusun AP Plc sun yi sakaci wajen binciken asusun kamfanin.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ta kafa Kwamitin binciken zargin. Sakamakon binciken Kwamitin ya tabbatar cewa adadin N10, 181,606 biliyan da aka bayyana a takardar bayanan tayin jari na AP Plc ya yi ƙasa da ainihin bashin kamfanin a ranar 30 ga Yuni 1999.

Gayyatar Wanda Ya Daukaka Ƙara daga SEC

Mufutau Ajayi ba darakta ba ne a African Petroleum Plc; shi ne Manajan Kuɗi da Asusun kamfanin. Kwamitin Sauraron Harkokin Gudanarwa (APC) na SEC ta gano cewa Mufutau Ajayi, a matsayinsa na jami’in AP Plc, ya ba da izinin fitar da takardar bayanan tayin jari na 30 ga Maris 2000 wanda ya ƙunshi bayanin da ba gaskiya ba, wato cewa jimillar bashin kamfanin a 30 ga Yuni 1999 N10.2 biliyan ne, alhali bayanan da aka bayyana daga baya sun nuna akasin haka. Ta hakan ya saɓa wa Sashe na 62 (1), (2) (d) da 63 na ISA 1999.

Ko da yake Mr. Ajayi bai halarci zaman binciken Kwamitin Sauraron Harkokin Gudanarwa ba duk da an gayyace shi, Kwamitin ya yi binciken da ya kai ga waɗannan sakamakon a kan Mr. M.C. Ajayi:

1. ko da yake Mr. Ajayi ba Daraktan kamfanin ba ne, babban jami’i ne da ya taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen samun Takardun Bashin Kasuwanci (CPs) da Takardun Biyan Kuɗi da Bankuna Suka Amince da Su (BAs) waɗanda suka haifar da bashin da aka ɓoye;
2. halayensa kafin tayin sayarwar, na hana masu binciken asusu samun takardun kuɗi masu muhimmanci yayin binciken, abin zargi ne ƙwarai kuma ya saɓa wa ƙa’idojin ƙwararru;
3. rawar da ya taka ta kusanci laifukan tattalin arziki da kuɗi;
4. akwai isasshiyar shaida don tura batunsa ga Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Bisa waɗannan sakamakon bincike, Kwamitin Sauraron Harkokin Gudanarwa ta ba da umarni kamar haka:

1. a yi wa Mr. Ajayi tsawatarwa mai tsanani saboda rawar da ya taka wajen ɓoye bashin;
2. saboda haka an hana shi aiki ko shiga harkar takardun jari a kowane matsayi;
3. a tura Mr. M. C. Ajayi ga Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) don ƙarin binciken laifi da ɗaukar mataki;
4. a sanar da Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) da duk ƙungiyoyin ƙwararru da Mr. Ajayi yake cikinsu game da ayyukansa da wannan Hukunci.

Mr. Ajayi ya kai batun Kotu.

Bayan an sanar da shi hukuncin SEC ta wasiƙar 19 ga Afrilu 2004, Mr. Ajayi ya je Babbar Kotun Tarayya don neman bitar hukuncin a Shari’a mai lamba FHC/ABJ/CS/285/2004 – MUFUTAU AJAYI VS SEC & ANOR. Securities and Exchange Commission, ta hannun lauyanta, ta yi ƙalubale ga ikon Babbar Kotun Tarayya na sauraro da yanke hukunci a shari’ar.

Kotun ta amince da ƙalubalen kuma ta yanke cewa wurin da ya dace Mai Shigar da Ƙara ya kai batun shi ne Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari, ba Babbar Kotun Tarayya ba.

Mai Shigar da Ƙara bai gamsu da hukuncin Babbar Kotun Tarayya ba, ya ɗaukaka ƙara zuwa Kotun Ɗaukaka Ƙara a Ƙara mai lamba CA/A/200/M/2005 – MUFUTAU AJAYI VS SEC. Kotun Ɗaukaka Ƙara ta tabbatar da hukuncin Babbar Kotun Tarayya a hukuncin da ta yanke ranar 8 ga Mayu 2007.

Mai Shigar da Ƙara (wanda yanzu shi ne Mai Ɗaukaka Ƙara) ya ci gaba da shari’ar zuwa Kotun Koli ta hanyar Sanarwar Ɗaukaka Ƙara da ya shigar ranar 2 ga Agusta 2007.

Hukuncin Kotun Koli.

Kotun Koli ta yanke hukuncinta kan ɗaukaka ƙarar ranar 13 ga Janairu 2023. Bayan ta duba hujjoji da tarihin batun da bayanan lauyoyin ɓangarorin biyu, Kotun ta gano cewa SEC ta ɗauki isassun matakai don sanar da Mai Ɗaukaka Ƙara zaman APC da shari’arta. Bugu da ƙari, SEC ba ta zama mai shari’a a batunta kanta ba, domin ta yi aiki bisa ƙorafin Sadiq Petroleum Limited (SPNC), babban mai zuba jari da ya sayi 30% na hannun jarin African Petroleum Plc. Saboda haka Mai Ɗaukaka Ƙara ba zai iya ci gaba da neman umarnin certiorari ba, domin a bayyane yake cewa sharuɗɗan bayar da wannan umarni ba su cika gare shi ba.

Abin da ya fi muhimmanci shi ne hukuncin Kotun Koli kan ikon sauraron batutuwan kasuwar jari. Kotun ta ce babban batun ɗaukaka ƙarar shi ne ƙin amincewar Babbar Kotun Tarayya da ikon sauraron shari’ar, wanda Kotun Ɗaukaka Ƙara ta tabbatar. Bayan duba dokokin da suka shafi ayyukan SEC da Kwamitin Sauraron Harkokin Gudanarwa (APC), Kotun ta yi tambaya mai sauƙi: ‘To, ina Mai Ɗaukaka Ƙara zai je idan bai gamsu da hukuncin APC ba?’ Kotun ta amsa tambayar da kalmomin nan:

“Bisa ga abubuwan da aka bayyana a baya, hakan na nufin cewa duk wani ƙorafi—ko game da hana sauraron ƙorafi cikin adalci da APC ta yi kamar yadda yake a wannan shari’a, ko batun mulkin doka, adalci da daidaito, gaskiyar al’amari ko doka, da sauransu—ya kamata a shigar da shi gaban Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari (1ST). Babu wata tantama cewa Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari ɗin ne wurin da ya dace, wanda ke da ikon sauraro da yanke hukunci kan shari’ar mai ɗaukaka ƙara, ba Babbar Kotun Tarayya ba.”

Hukuncin Kotun Koli da ke sama ya yanke wannan batu a ƙarshe. Ikon da aka bai wa Kotun Sauraron Ƙararrakin Zuba Jari da Takardun Jari na yanke duk batutuwan da aka lissafo a Sashe na 284 na Investments and Securities Act, 2007 shi kaɗai ne ke da shi, kuma ba za a raba shi da wata kotu ba. Ɗaya daga cikin waɗannan batutuwa shi ne duk wani hukunci ko shawarar da Securities and Exchange Commission ta yanke wajen aiwatar da Dokar.