Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The National Industrial Court (NIC) sitting in Abuja has ordered the immediate reinstatement of the suspended Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo.
Gwarzo was suspended on November 29, 2019 by the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate allegations of financial impropriety levelled against him.
The suspended SEC director consequently approached the industrial court where he challenged the suspension as well as the findings of the panel, which had indicted him.
Delivering his judgment on the matter, Justice Sanusi Kado, held that the former finance minister lacked the powers and vires to suspend Gwarzo.
Consequently, Justice Kado declared that the suspension as null, void and of no effect.
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In addition, the court further held that the Administrative Panel of Inquiry that indicted the claimant was not a court of law neither was it a quasi-judicial body, but just a body set up for a fact-finding duty.
After setting aside the recommendation of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry as a nullity, the court ordered the immediate reinstatement of the claimant as the DG of SEC to complete his five-year tenure.
Justice Kado further ordered that the claimant’s salaries, allowances and entitlements accrued be paid to him in full.