Ugbane, Elumelu, others yet to meet bail terms
From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja
CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Power, Nicholas Ugbane, his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Dr. Abdulahi Aliyu and seven others are still in Kuje Prisons, Abuja.
They are on trial for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government of N5.2 billion earmarked for rural electricity projects.
The accused persons have reportedly failed to meet the bail terms of an Abuja High Court headed by Justice Adebunkola Bamjoko.
The other accused persons are the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency, Samuel Gekpe; Simon Nanle, Lawrence Orekoya, Abdulsamad Jahun, Kayode Oyedeji, Igwe Paulinus and Jibo Mohammed.
The trial judge had asked them to provide sureties, who will deposit their travelling documents such as their international passports with the court.
When the matter came up yesterday, it could not be heard due to the absence of the judge whom court officials said was indisposed.
The accused had resolved to ask the judge for the variation of their bail conditions.
The Guardian learnt that Justice Bamjoko travelled abroad yesterday.
Family members of the accused persons, who had beseeched the court premises with the hope that the judge would accede to their request left for home dejected.
A brother to one of the accused persons, who narrated the ordeal his family had passed through to meet the bail conditions.
"On Tuesday, the judge said we should get bank guarantees and we did. But when the guarantee was given she sent some of her staff with a letter to the bank, seeking that they confirm formally if they gave us the guarantee. Even though the bank confirmed it, the judge was still not satisfied", he lamented.
"Today, we have come back to court hoping that the judge will finally sign their release from prison, but she is not here. The court officials say she is indisposed."
But at 3.30 p.m. yesterday, lawyers to the accused persons were served a document signed by the judge, but the prison authorities declined releasing them pending verification from the court.
Last Monday, the judge admitted the accused persons to bail. She ordered them to meet a bail bond of N50 million each, with two sureties in like sum, which must be resident in Abuja with evidence of three years tax clearance and should be willing to deposit their international passports. Besides ordering the accused persons to deposit their international and diplomatic passports at the court's registry.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned them on a 157-count charge of conspiracy and criminal breach of trust resulting in a fraud of N5.2 billion.
