Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.
Justice Jadesola Adeyemi-Ajayi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, yesterday granted bail to Ahmed Idris, the former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), and two others charged with an alleged N109 billion fraud.
The bail was granted on the same terms and conditions as the defendants’ previous administrative bail granted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Idris, Mr. Godfrey Akindele, Mr. Mohammed Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited were arraigned in court last week on a 14-count criminal charge involving alleged stealing, breach of trust, and money laundering totaling N109 billion.
Following their not guilty plea, however, the court ordered their remand at the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja pending the hearing and determination of their bail application and subsequent trial.
The court held that the offenses charged against the defendants were bailable and that the court was inclined to admit them to bail in the bail applications argued by Chief Chris Uche, Mr. Peter Abalaka, and Mr. Mohammed Ndayako for the first, second, and third defendants, respectively.
“In accordance with due process and the supremacy of the law, the defendants are still entitled to bail, regardless of the gravity of the allegations against them,” the court concluded.
The judge also noted that the EFCC never stated in any of its processes that the defendants misbehaved while on administrative bail.
The bail conditions stated that the defendants must remain within the FCT of Abuja and seek the court’s permission before leaving.
Defendants must also sign an affidavit of assurance that they will follow all of their bail conditions.
The court ruled that the defendants must deposit their passports with the Court’s Registrar and guarantee that they will not obtain alternate passports while the case is pending.
Meanwhile, the judge ordered that the defendants remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Center until their bail conditions are met.
“That you, Ahmed Idris, between February and December, 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15.1 billion, which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and the said Olusegun Akindele and the said Oluse
“That you, Ahmed Idris, while serving as Accountant General of the Federation, and Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, while serving as Technical Assistant to the Accountant General of the Federation between February and November, 2021, in Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, in such capacity, entrusted with certain property, namely N84.390 billion, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, when you dishonest
Meanwhile, the EFCC previously announced that Aliyu Ahmed, a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance whose name was originally included in count-11 of the charge, would appear as one of its witnesses in the case.
Aside from the Permanent Secretary’s testimony, the agency claimed to have confessional statements from both the former AGF and his co-defendants.
It stated that the extra-judicial statements were made in the presence of lawyers representing the defendants, and that some of the witnesses, including contractors, admitted that the former AGF paid them large sums of money for contracts they never completed.
On June 25, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Idris as AGF.
He was subsequently re-appointed for a second four-year term in June 2019, despite criticism from labor groups, who argued that he should have retired at the age of 60.
The EFCC arrested the ex-AGF on May 16 on suspicion of diverting and laundering over N80 billion from public coffers.
According to the EFCC, the funds were obtained through bogus consultancies, non-existent contracts, and other illegal activities carried out by the ex-AGF through proxies, family members, and close associates.
It was also claimed that the money was laundered through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja.
Idris was apprehended in Kano after allegedly refusing to answer EFCC interrogation requests.
