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By Lukman Olabiyi
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday, remanded the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Olakunle Oluomo alongside the assembly’s Director of Finance, Oladayo Samuel, and the assembly’s clerk, Adeyemo Taiwo, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pending the perfection of bail granted them.
Justice Osiagor ordered the remand of the three defendants after they pleaded not guilty to the 11- count charges of conspiracy, stealing, forgery and fraud to the tune of N4.4 billion, filed against them by the EFCC.
Following their arraignment, the judge ordered that the defendants be remanded at the custody of the EFCC for a maximum of one week, for them to perfect their bail, and if they fail to perfect it within one week, they would be transferred to the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) at Abeokuta, the state capital. The defendants were docked on 11- count charges of conspiracy, forgery, and stealing.
Arraigning the defendants, the EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to allow the charges to be read to them, for the defendants to take their plea. Subsequently, the charge was read and all they pleaded not guilty to all the 11-count.
Following their plea of not guilty, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), counsel to the speaker, who is the first defendant in the charge, informed the court that his client was already enjoying administrative bail granted him by the EFCC.
He told the court that he had filed a bail application, but it was delayed due to correction in the title of the application. He prayed the court to allow the defendants to remain in the custody of the EFCC, pending the perfection of their bail terms.
Also, counsel to the second and third defendants, Akinyemi Aremu and Oluwole Aladedoyin, urged the court to grant the defendants bail in liberal and affordable terms.
In his response, EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, did not oppose the bail application, but left it at the discretion of the court. He, however, urged the court to direct that failure to meet up with their respective bail conditions within a week, the defendants should be transferred to the Ogun State Correctional Centre, Abeokuta.
(Continued on www.sunnewsonline.com)
Ruling on their bail applications, Justice Osiagor granted the speaker, Oluomo, bail in the sum of N300 million with two sureties, while the second defendant, Samuel, and the third defendant, Taiwo, were granted bail in the sum of N100 million with two sureties in like sum.
