Date Published: 06/16/11

Bankole, Nafada get bail, back in EFCC jail

Bankole and Nafada under EFCC watch

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his deputy, Usman Bayero Nafada were on Thursday returned to the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC pending when they will be able to meet the stringent bail conditions granted them by an FCT high court, Abuja.

The duo who are standing trial on a 17 count criminal charge of illegal procurement of N37.7 billion loan and misappropriation of same were docked before the court on Monday June 13 and subsequently remanded in EFCC custody pending when their bail application will be argued today, Thursday June 16.

At the resumed hearing of the case today, Justice Sulaiman Belgore, while granting bail to each of the two accused in the sum of N50 million, said they should also provide two sureties in like sum. The sureties, he said, must be Permanent Secretaries of any Federal Government Ministry residing in Abuja . Besides, the two accused are to make available their travel documents to the EFCC.

Earlier in the day, the request of the defence counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, to consolidate the application of the two accused for bail was granted. Awomolo who further argued that bail is a fundamental right of an accused especially if the case is not serious felony, prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail on self recognition, more so that the former deputy speaker was sick.

“The purpose of bail is to enable the accused to attend trial. There is no sufficient reason brought by the prosecution for court to deny bail. If granted bail, my client would not jeopardize trial”, he explained.

But prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, who filed two counter affidavits on 15 June, 2011, argued that the 2nd accused, Nafada, did not place before the court sufficient materials to back up his claims of ill-health. “It is trite law that when relying on health grounds, admissible medical report must be brought before the court for consideration on sympathetic grounds,” he stated.

Also speaking on the bail application for the former speaker, Keyamo contended that the status of an individual has nothing to do with statutory requirement of the law with regards to bail consideration. On the issue of having been granted bail earlier by another court, he submitted that the argument lacked substance.

“My lord, that some other court has granted bail to the first accused cannot fetter the hands of this court; especially in consideration of the fact that the proof of evidence of this case and charge are different from that of the other one”, Keyamo had said. After ruling on the bail application, the case was adjourned till July 19, 2011, for commencement of trial.

It would be recalled that former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Bankole and his deputy, Nafada were on Monday, June 13th, 2011, arraigned at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , FCT, on a fresh 17 count charge of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and theft of N37.7 billion. They were alleged to have obtained and dishonestly disbursed N37.7 billion without the authorization and consent of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission when Bankole and Nafada were Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.    

On Monday, June 13th, 2011, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Donatus Okorowo had admitted the former Speaker, who is being prosecuted on a 16 criminal count charge of contract inflation and fraudulent embezzlement of public fund.

Justice Okorowo, in his ruling, granted him bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum. The surety, who must be a responsible citizen of the country, must own a landed property in Abuja metropolis. Besides, he must tender the title deed of the property to the deputy chief registrar of the court for identification. The court also ruled that both the surety and the accused person must surrender their travel documents to the court. The accused person, the judge ordered, must remain in EFCC custody until the conditions are met.