An Ibadan High Court yesterday granted bail to former Oyo State governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in the sum of N500m with two sureties.
The court also grand bail to two other accused persons, Sen. Hosea Agboola and the Managing Director of Pentagon Engineering Company, Mr. Olufemi Ademola, in the sum of N300m.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Alao-Akala and other accused persons for thier allaged involvement in corrupt practices to the tune of N11.5 bn.
When they were first arraigned on Tuesday October 11, before the Justice Moshood Abass, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
However, their bail applications could not be heard following argument by the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Godwin Obla, seeking for time to study and respond to them.
This prompted Abass to adjourn proceedings to Wednesday, October 12.
But at the resumed hearing yesterday, lead lawyer to the defendants, Mamman Osuman, (SAN) urged the court to admit the accused persons, especially Alao-Akala to bail on the
grounds of ill-health and tendered a medical report to back the claim.
But while opposing the application, Obla tendered a counter-affidavit deposed to by one Olayinka Bolanle, adding that Alao-Akala’s medical report was intended to hoodwink and mislead
the court.
Ruling on the accused bail application, Justice Abbass held that there were no legal grounds to deny them bail as argued by the lawyer to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs.
He therefore adjourned the case till December 13, for further hearing.