Posted by From GODWIN TSA, Abuja on
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it is in the process of amending the 56-count charges against the two former Ministers in the Federal Ministry of Health, Professor Adenike Grange and Architect Gabriel Aduku and others standing trial over the N300 million unspent budget fraud, to include the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, preparatory to her arraignment on April 28, 2008.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it is in the process of amending the 56-count charges against the two former Ministers in the Federal Ministry of Health, Professor Adenike Grange and Architect Gabriel Aduku and others standing trial over the N300 million unspent budget fraud, to include the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, preparatory to her arraignment on April 28, 2008.
The disclosure came as Professor Grange and her co-accused were on Tuesday granted bail by an Abuja High court.
Justice Salisu Garba granted them bail in the sum of N10million each. They are also to produce one surety each, in the like sum, who must be a prominent Nigerian.
In addition, they are to deposit their International Passport with the court and to report to the Head of Operations of the EFCC first Monday of every month throughout the duration of the trial.
While admitting the accused persons to bail, Justice Garba noted that application for bail is governed by the provisions of sections 341 (1) and 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), which stipulates conditions for the granting of bail to accused persons.
Such conditions, according to him, is the fact that the accused persons would make themselves available for trial, not tamper with investigations, not jump bail and not commit further offences, among others.
He said: 'I have perused the provisions and I expect that they would not jump bail, they will not commit further offence or interfere with investigations, as the accused persons themselves have averred in their applications and which were not controverted by the prosecution counsel.
'It is my view that their applications should be granted and they are hereby granted."
The accused persons, their lawyers, family members and relatives greeted the ruling with jubilations and laughter.
Meanwhile, Senator Obasanjo-Bello, who was cited in charge number 55 and 56 of the charge sheet, has challenged the jurisdiction of the court to try her.
In her motion of preliminary objections, which was moved by her counsel, Mr. Adebayo Adenikpekun (SAN), she is praying the court to quash the charges against her or to strike out her name. Her application would be argued on April 29, 2008.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. James Binang, has, however, disclosed the intention of the EFCC to amend the 56-count charges to accommodate the name of Senator Obasanjo-Bello to pave the way for her arraignment before the court on the next adjourned date fixed for April 28.
According to the prosecution counsel, 'we shall file a counter affidavit to Iyabo's preliminary objections on the next adjourned date. We are amending the charge sheet to include her name so that we can bring her to court. Criminal proceedings demand that an accused person must appear personally in court to enable him take his or her plea. So the condition demands that she must personally appear in court and that is what we are going to do."
As at the time of this report, all the accused persons where still at the court trying to perfect their bail conditions.
They are standing trial over allegations of conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent sharing of the sum of N300 million belonging to the Federal Government. They were last Friday denied bail by an Abuja High Court.
Other suspects charged with the two former ministers are the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Simon Ogandi; H.B Oyedepo, Hanafi Mohammed, Ekanem, Donatus Iyang, Olomo J.A, Obanla Olatubusun, Henry Onyeagwalam and Edem Bassey.
Their earlier attempts to secure bail suffered a set back, as the court refused on the grounds that their applications be properly filed before the court.
Justice Salisu Garba, in refusing bail, insisted that the accused persons file a written application, as according to him there were no sufficient facts before him to pronounce on their oral application for bail.