On Tuesday, a High Court situated in Maitama, Abuja, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), approved bail of N500 million for Akintoye Akindele, a Lagos-based entrepreneur accused of attempting to bribe the police with N150 million.
Justice Hamza Muazu, presiding over the case, declined the plea made by Simon Lough (SAN), the police counsel, to continue detaining the defendant for the purpose of completing the investigation.
But Justice Muazu agreed with the defence counsel Henry Eni-Otu that the alleged offence was bailable.
Consequently, the judge admitted Akindele, the managing director and chief executive officer of Duport Midstream Company Ltd, to bail in the sum of N500 million, with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Muazu, sitting as the vacation judge, said one of the sureties must own landed property within jurisdiction and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The judge ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court.
He noted that since it would be impossible to conclude the case during the vacation, which would end soon, it was better to return the case file to the chief judge of the FCT High Court for reassignment to a regular court after the vacation.
Justice Muazu then ordered the return of the case file to the chief judge for reassignment.
The prosecution’s single-count accusation states that the defendant attempted to bribe the investigating policemen handling a funds diversion case against him, with the intention of facilitating his escape abroad. Akindele pleaded not guilty to this charge.
