An Abuja High Court on Thursday granted bail to three account staff of the Federal Civil Service Commission.
The accused persons – HassanTukur, Babatunde Abisuga and Mohammed Ndakupe – were arraigned by the EFCC on a 12-count charge.
The commission had arraigned the accused persons on April 3 before Justice Maryann Anenih on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Other charges are forgery and fraudulent conversion of N109 million, which contravened Sections 97, 315, 115(ii), 119 and 309 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the 12 count-charges.
Delivering her ruling on their consolidated application for bail, Anenih, granted them bail in the like sum of N5 million.
Anenih ordered that each accused must produce one surety, who “must be respectable residents of the Federal Capital Territory’’.
According to the judge, the sureties must deposit their international passports and must have landed property either in Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Mabushi or Lugbe as well as swear to an affidavit of means that the they own the property.
The judge ordered the Registrar of the court and officials of the EFCC to verify all the property, which the sureties would be relying on for the bail.
She warned that if the Registrar or EFCC officials did not ascertain the address of the property, she would withdraw the bail.
She said: “there is nothing in the counter-affidavit of the counsel to the EFCC, Mr Slyvanus Tahir, to suggest that the accused persons will jump bail.
“If by June 5, neither the Registrar nor the EFCC, can verify the addresses and true locations of the property, the bail granted the accused persons will be revoked.’’
Earlier, Mr Alfred Ibuke, counsel to Tukur and Abisuga, urged the court to grant the accused bail.
He said that the accused persons were still presumed innocent until pronounced guilty, and said that the accused persons would not jump bail.
The counsel to the third accused person, Mr Anthony Agbolahan, urged the court to admit the accused to bail.
But Tahir, EFCC Counsel opposed the bail application.
He urged the court to take judicial notice of the nature of the offences before granting them bail.
According to the EFCC counsel, each charge attracts a prison term of 14 years, if convicted.
Justice Anenih after reviewing the arguments of the defence and the prosecution observed that bail before trial safeguards the presumption of innocence of an accused person.
She held that the bail was granted to the accused persons because they had no previous criminal records and adjourned the suit till June 5 and June 6.
She said: “the trial will be accorded accelerated hearing in my court.
“I am obeying an order by the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Lawal Gummi that all criminal cases be heard and disposed within six months from the date of arraignment.’’
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