Respite came the way of the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, and two others Thursday when Justice Jadesola Adeyemi-Ajayi of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, granted them bail.
They were arraigned before her on an alleged N109 billion fraud.
The bail was granted in line with the same terms and conditions of the earlier administrative bail granted the defendants by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Idris, alongside Mr Godfrey Akindele, Mr Mohammed Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited were last week arraigned before the court on a 14-count criminal charge bordering on alleged stealing and breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of over N109 billion.
However, following their plea of not guilty, the court had ordered their remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja pending the hearing and determination of their bail application and subsequent trial.
Ruling in the bail applications argued by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Mr Peter Abalaka and Mr Mohammed Ndayako for the first, second and third defendants respectively, the court held that the offenses charged against them were bailable and that the court was inclined to admit them to bail.
“In line with the due process and supremacy of the law, the defendants are still entitled to bail, irrespective of the enormity of the allegations against them,” the court held.
The judge further observed that the EFCC did not in any of its processes, state that the defendants misbehaved while on administrative bail.
The conditions attached to the bail are that the defendants must remain within the FCT, Abuja, and must seek consent of the court before travelling out.
The defendants are also to depose to an affidavit of assurance to abide by all their bail conditions.
The court held that the defendants must deposit their passports with the court’s registrar and also give assurance that they would not procure alternate passports during the pendency of the case.
Meanwhile, the judge ordered that the defendants remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre until they are able to perfect their bail conditions.
