N800m Fraud: Accused Persons Get Bail on Tough Terms
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja today, (Wednesday) granted bail to the duo, Mohammed Abubakar Kent and Precious Otsu, who are currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for offences which border on fraud.
Kent and Otsu were granted bail in the sum of N25m (twenty five million naira) each and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 14. The sureties must depose to affidavit of means and must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
The accused persons are standing trial on an 11-count charge of criminal breach of trust, forgery, personation and obtaining money under false pretence.
The duo allegedly conspired and forged documents in the name of Little Acorns Turkey Project Limited and fraudulently defrauded one Sulaiman Aliyu to the tune of N800m (Eight Hundred Million Naira) over a property situated at Lokogoma, Abuja.
Edwin Inegedu and Dania Abudullai, counsel to the first and second accused person, while moving the bail application, prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail on the grounds that the offence is bailable.
They also argued that their clients have no criminal record and will not jump bail.
Specifically, counsel to the second accused, Abudullai told the court that his client, Otsu is a single mother with two kids, adding that he was prepared to deposit the original copy of his Call –to-Bar certificate to secure her bail.
Counsel to EFCC, Onjefu Obe, however, objected to the application on the ground that the accused persons did not completely honour the terms of the administrative bail earlier granted them by the Commission and therefore would likely jump bail if granted.
The prosecuting counsel also argued that though bail is at the discretion of the court, the power must be exercised judiciously and judicially.
Justice Oriji after listening to the submissions of counsel, granted bail to the accused persons and adjourned the case to July 29, 2014 for hearing.