Follow Us on Google
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Former Governor of Jigawa State, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki was yesterday granted a fresh bail by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court in the sum of N500 million .
Besides, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba directed that the former governor must produce two sureties in the sum of N250 million each.
Turaki was re- arrainged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 32 count charge bordering on money laundering offences.
The ex- governor who pleaded not guilty to all the counts moved an oral application for bail through his counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN) to released him on pending trial.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had last Thursday granted bail to Turaki, who was in the custody of the EFCC.
No stringent conditions were attached to the bail granted him by Justice Halilu, other than asking him to submit his travelling documents.
However, in the fresh bail, the trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba held that the sureties should either be a businessman, private person or a civil servant not below the level of director and must have a landed property within the FCT or any of the Satellite towns in Abuja.
The Judge added that the sureties must deposit their evidence of tax payment from the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
He further held that the defendant must deposit his travel documents with the court’s registrar and must report to the headquarter of the EFCC every first working day of every month.
Justice Dimgba also held that the defendant should be remanded in Kuje prison pending the satisfaction of the bail condition.
The court later adjourned the case till September 19, a date which the Federal High Court, Dutse had earlier fixed.
The matter will now be continued before Justice Sabi’u Yahuza of the Dutse Federal High Court.
Turaki was arraigned alongside three companies , INC Natural Resources Ltd, Apel Construction Ltd and Wide Heart Construction Ltd.
Immediately after his plea was taken, his counsel, Ahmed Raji SAN moved an oral application prayed the court to grant his client bail on ground that the defendant is not an ordinary citizen as he had ruled a state for 8 years.
Raji cited Section163 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which entitle the defendant to bail unless the court sees the contrary.
He further submitted that the defence was not aware of yesterday arraignment as they would have come with a proper application and the defendant had spent two weeks in detention.
The prosecuting counsel, Mohammed Abubakar however opposed the oral application on ground that Section 163 cited by the defence is more rigid than Section162 of the ACJA.
Mohammed told the court that the defendant was arrested pursuant to a bench warrant issued in September 2014 by Justice Sabi’u Yahuza and that since then, the commission have been making effort to get hold of him without success until July 4.
He added that the bail is to ensure that the defendant attend his trial, if he is release on bail he might not make himself available for the trial and this will defeat our effort.
Turaki was first arraigned before Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of the Federal High Court but had his case later transfered to Justice Sabi’u Yahuza of the Federal High Court, Dutse, Jigawa State after he objected to the jurisdiction of the court in Abuja.
He was subsequently re-arraigned at the Federal High Court in Dutse ,Jigawa on a 32-count charge of misappropriating N36 billion while in office.
However after his re-arraignment at Federal High Court Dutse ,Turaki allegedly refused to attend trial a situation which resulted in the Commission declaring him wanted in May, 2013.
