The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), has said it will immediately appeal the ruling of a Federal Capital Territory High Court which granted bail to one Abiodun Agbele, a suspect who is being investigated by the Commission for a range of alleged criminal infractions bordering on fraud and money laundering.
Justice Olukayode Fadeniyi, in a ruling which the Commission described as “shocking” today offered bail to Agbele and ordered the EFCC to pay the suspect N5million as compensation for unlawful detention. The judge claimed that the failure of the EFCC to charge to charge Agbele to court, since his arrest, amounted to an abuse of his fundamental rights.
But the Commission in statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren described Justice Fadeniyi’s conclusion as “curious” against the background of the information presented to the court, which included the fact that the suspect is being held with valid remand warrants issued by competent courts.
The EFCC, however, said it is filing a motion for a stay of execution of the ruling.
The court in its ruling had lambasted the anti graft body for exercising its executive powers indiscriminately by granting suspects stringent bail conditions, and after that, securing remand orders against them, which amounts to nullity of the bail granted them.
The court had subsequently granted bail to Agbele in the sum of N50million, while the EFCC is to pay him N5million as damages.
As at the time of filing this report, it is unclear if the EFCC had filed for a stay of execution of the court order.
The court during its ruling had also ordered the anti graft agency to release al of the accused properties that were seized if he ia not arraigned within 21 days.
