An FCT High Court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, Thursday, admitted to bail in the sum of N50m former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN).
Adoke and six others are facing a 42 count-charge bordering on money laundering, bribing and corruption said to be inimical to national interest.
According to the Federal Government, as Attorney-General, Adoke mediated controversial agreements that ceded OPL 245 to Shell and Eni who in turn paid about $1.1bn to accounts controlled by an ex-convict and former petroleum minister, Dan Etete.
Ruling on bail application, Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi held that the offences the defendants are charge with are bailable.
Also admitted to bail in the sum of N50m and N10m are Aliu Abubakar and Rasky Gbinigie, who are second and third defendants, respectively in the alleged fraud trial by the federal government.
The others are Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Ultra Deep Limited, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Limited.
Justice Kutigi who granted the defendants bail while delivering ruling in their individual bail applications also ordered the defendants to provide a surety each in like sum to their individual bail.
The sureties who must be responsible citizens of Nigeria, must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.
They must be owners of verifiable properties in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and also show evidence of tax payment in the last three years.
In addition, the sureties are to sign an undertaking that the defendants will always be in court at every proceedings of the trial, while the defendants on their part are to undertake that they will not jump bail nor interfere with the trial.
The defendants were also ordered to submit their international passports to the court and cannot travel without the court’s permission.
Justice Kutigi held that any default in the terms either by the sureties or defendants will automatically lead to revocation of the bail.
He subsequently adjourned till March 27 for the commencement of trial.
In the charge with number CR/151/2020, the federal government is alleging that Adoke and the other respondents received gratification to carry out a fraudulent oil deal.
Adoke was alleged to have in August 2013 in Abuja while serving as a minister knowingly received United State Dollars equivalent of N300m which is reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 319A of the Penal Code, Cap 532 laws of the federation of Nigeria 1990.
Another defendant, Rasky Gbinigie, was accused of conspiring with one Munamuna Seidougha (at large), Amaran Joseph (at large) and Dauzia Etete (at large), sometime in 2013, in Abuja, to dishonestly use as genuine the forged form CAC 7 and Board Resolution of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited and the letter of resignation of one Mohammed Sani to open a Bank Account No. 2018288005 with First Bank of Nigeria Plc to receive the sum of $401,540,000.00.
However, they pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Counsel to the defendants, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), George Ikoli (SAN) counsel to the first, second and third defendants, respectively, urged the court to admit their clients to bail because the alleged offences they are accused of are bail able.
The defence lawyers, who argued that the defendants are entitled to bail, added that the defendants would always make themselves available to court.
They however urged the court to admit the defendants to a bail conditions that they would be able to afford.
However, counsel to the EFCC, Bala Sanga, had urged the court to deny the defendants bail because they are all flight risk and that it took the prosecution a great deal of time to bring them to court for arraignment.
