by
An aide to Governor Ayodele Fayose, has finally been granted bail by an Abuja High Court after he was arraigned by the EFCC.
Abiodun Aigbele
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted bail to an
associate of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Abiodun Aigbele for
the sum opf N500m.
He is to provide two sureties in the sum of N250m each. The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Wednesday
arraigned Agbele, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High
Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja.
He was arraigned on an 11-count charge of money laundering to the
tune of N1, 219,000,000 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Nineteen Million
Naira).
The money is part of N4, 685, 723,000, (Four Billion, Six Hundred
and Eighty-five Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty-three Thousand Naira)
allegedly transferred from an account belonging to the Office of the
National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It would be recalled that on Wednesday, Mr. Agbele was arraigned
alongside a former Minister of Defence for State, Musliu Obanikoro;
Sylvan Mcnamara Limited; Lt. A.O Adewale; Tunde Oshinowo and Olalekan
Ogunseye (all at large).
One of the charges reads: “That you, Abiodun Agbele, Musliu
Obanikoro (now at large), (while being the Minister of Defence for
State), Sylvan Mcnamara Limited, LT. A.O Adewale (now at large), Tunde
Oshinowo (now at large) and Olalekan Ogunseye (now at large) (while
being the sole signatory to the Zenith Bank account of Sylvan Mcnamara
Limited) sometime between the 4th day of April, 2014 and 13th November,
2014, conspired amongst yourselves to commit illegal act to wit:
laundering the sum of N4, 685, 723, 000.00 being sum transferred from
the Office of the National Security Adviser with Central Bank of Nigeria
by Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) which you knew or reasonably ought
to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an
unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) the then National
Security Adviser, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to
Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (As
amended in 2012) and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act."
Mr. Agbele pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.
In view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Johnson Ojogbane, asked
for a trial date and urged the court to remand the accused person in
prison. However, counsel to the accused person, Mike Ozekhome, SAN,
urged the court to grant the accused person bail on self-recognition,
adding that the Commission had earlier granted the accused person
administrative bail.
But Mr. Ojogbane kicked against the application, while seeking
accelerated hearing of the case. According to him, ‘‘the accused is in
touch with others at large.’’
After listening to both counsels, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ordered the
accused person remanded in Kuje prison and fixed Thursday, August 4,
2016 for ruling on the bail application.
Deciding this today, the judge ruled granted Aigbele bail in the sum of N500m.
0 comments: