Anti-graft agency quizzes Nafada, others
MOVE by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, to secure tentative freedom following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged contract inflation suffered a setback yesterday as the Federal High Court, Abuja Division rejected his oral request for bail.
Instead, the court ordered Bankole's counsel, Chief Adegboyega Solomon Awomolo (SAN), to file a formal bail application while remanding the former head of the Lower Chamber in the custody of EFCC pending the hearing and determination of the request for his bail.
Meanwhile, six former principal officers in the House of Representatives have been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make statements in connection to some of the allegations leveled against Bankole.
The principal officers were Usman Nafada, Baba Shehu Agaie, Sulaiman Kawu, Bello Mohammed, Tunde Akogun and Ali Ndume. Though the men were still in EFCC custody as at the time of filing this report, a source in the anti-graft agency informed The Guardian that they were "likely to be granted bail after their interrogation later today (yesterday)".
The developments came as the EFCC yesterday re-arraigned a former Managing Director of Bank PHB Plc, Mr Francis Atuche and his wife, Elizabeth for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to the bank.
The court's decision on Bankole was sequel to the objection mounted by EFCC's counsel, Festus Keyamo against attempts by Awomolo to apply orally for the ex-Speaker's bail. "My lord, I will object strongly to any oral bail application. If they want bail, they need to file formal application for bail so that the prosecution can react appropriately. We intend to oppose the accuse person's bail request and it is only by a formal application that both side can put before the court sufficient materials to inform the exercise of its discretion judiciously", Keyamo had submitted. But Awomolo, who had earlier drawn the attention of the trial judge, Justice Donatus Okorowo to what he described as "media trial" of his client by EFCC, tried unsuccessfully to persuade the court to take the oral application. Bankole put up a bold face throughout the proceedings, smiling occasionally as each of the 16 charges was read to him, pleading not guilty "in protest". However, Bankole, clad in his customary immaculate apparel lost his guard a few times, cringing at some of the submissions of Keyamo.
Earlier, Awomolo had accused the commission of deliberately embarrassing his client with photographs of his arrest, which he said was circulated all over the world. He told the court that media and photographers were arranged to cover the arrest.
Responding, EFCC's lawyer, Keyamo said that the commission was not using the media to witch hunting Bankole. He said he did not have control over the media and that both parties had equal access to the media.
Responding, the judge warned all concerned, stating that the court has powers to punish for contempt if any one made prejudicial statements. He ordered that Bankole be remanded in EFCC's custody till tomorrow when his bail application would be heard.
Justice Okorowo adjourned the case to July 26 and 27 for trial.
Meanwhile, Atuche and his wife were arraigned alongside a former Chief Financial Officer of the Bank PHB, Mr. Ugo Anyanwu, before an Ikeja High Court in Lagos.
The presiding judge, Justice Lateefat Okunnu ordered Atuche to be remanded in prison custody pending the hearing and determination of the Notice of Preliminary Objection filed by his lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe.
The three accused persons were dragged by the EFCC before the court on an amended 27-count charge bothering on conspiracy to commit felony and stealing.
Atuche's re-arraignment is coming exactly two weeks after he was granted bail by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the same court where he is facing two separate charges of three counts each.
He had earlier been arraigned on May 17 with two former directors of the bank, Messrs Funmi Ademosun and Lekan Kasali on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
His wife, Elizabeth was also arraigned on May 17 before Okunnu on a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit felony and stealing and had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was granted bail.
In the amended information, which was read to the three accused persons on Wednesday, the EFCC alleged that they conspired to steal N25.7 billion from the bank whilst Atuche was the managing director.
The alleged offences, according to the anti-graft commission, were committed between November 2007 and April 2008. The three accused persons allegedly used some of the stolen money to purchase 140,625,000 units of Bank PHB shares on behalf of Guesstrade Services and Clearville Business Support.
They were also alleged to have used some part of it to purchase 112,500,000 units of Bank PHB shares on behalf of Sentron Trading, Arabian Probity Management and Commercial Trading and Services Limited.
The EFCC also accused them of fraudulently converting some of the stolen money into loans to Petosan Oil and Gas Limited and Tradjek Nigeria Limited.
The three accused persons however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Okunnu while ruling on the bail applications filed by their lawyers dismissed the objections raised by the EFCC.
She held that Mrs. Atuche should continue to enjoy bail on the existing conditions granted her on May 25 by the court.
The third accused, Anyanwu, was also granted bail in the sum of N25 million with two sureties in like sum.
She said: "One of the sureties must own a property worth N 25million in Lagos and while the other must be in the employment of the Federal Civil Service or in the employment of Lagos State, not below Grade Level 14."
According to her, the sureties must produce evidence of three years tax clearance while their residential, business addresses as well as the physical location of the property must be verified by an officer of the EFCC.
The court also barred him from traveling abroad except on its express permission, and ordered him to deposit his international passport and other travel documents with its Chief Registrar.
Okunnu also ordered him to report to the EFCC on every first working day of the month. She adjourned the matter to June 14 for hearing of the pending applications filed by Idigbe.
Source: The Guardian.