Contempt: Court convicts Natasha, Fines Her N5 million with apology

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday, convicted Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan for contempt of court and ordered her to pay M5 million fine, while also ordering her to apologise within seven days in two national dailies as well as on her Facebook page.
The court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, in her judgment, held that under the Senate Rules, the Senate President was empowered to allocate seats for members and such a member is only allowed to speak from the seat allocated to him or her.
Nyako found that since Natasha was not speaking from the sit allocated to her during the Senate’s sitting of February 20, she was not entitled to be heard, just as she also ruled that although the Senate could suspend its members, it should reconsider the period of such suspension.
She urged the Senate to consider recalling her to afford her the opportunity to represent her constituency and for her to also apologise to the Senate.
The judge found Natasha to have violated an order of the court made on April 4 restraining parties from commenting on the subject of the pending suit by posting a satirical letter on her Facebook page on April 27 while the April 4 order subsisted, hence she was in contempt of court.
Justice Nyanko further said that since Natasha was guilty of contempt in a civil case, thereby making it a civil contempt she would not be sent to prison but made to pay a fine and offer public apology to the court and ordered Natasha to pay N5m to the coffers of the Federal Government and publish public apology in two national dailies and her Facebook page within seven days.