Posted by From GODWIN TSA, Abuja on
Embattled Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and daughter of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello got reprieve on Wednesday when an Abuja High Court judge, Justice Salisu Garba granted her bail.
Embattled Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and daughter of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello got reprieve on Wednesday when an Abuja High Court judge, Justice Salisu Garba granted her bail.
Before the temporary reprieve, she was a guest at the Maitama Police Station, where she spent two nights on the orders of the court which had rejected her oral application for bail. Senator Obasanjo-Bello was arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC) on Monday over alleged involvement in fraudulent sharing of the Federal Ministry of Health's unspent N300 million budget fund.
But granting her bail after listening to her formal application, Justice Garba ordered that she produce the sum of N10 million and a responsible citizen as surety in the like sum.
Besides, she is to submit all her international passports, both official and personal, to the registrar of the court and be reporting to the Head of Operations of the EFCC every first Monday of every month throughout the duration of the trial.
In his 15-minute ruling, Justice Garba held that having submitted herself voluntarily to the court on May 19, 2008 to face trial, the law is that Obasanjo-Bello was entitled to be admitted to bail.
According to him, 'there is no doubt that section 341 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) placed the granting of bail on the discretion of the court. Furthermore the affidavit attached to the bail application of the 12th accused person (Obasanjo-Bello) conditions revealed that she is ready to satisfy all the conditions of bail.
'In addition, counsel to the complainant (EFCC) did not oppose the application for bail but only urged the court to attach stringent conditions to the bail in view of the antecedent of the 12th accused.
'In considering the difficulty the EFCC had in bringing the 12th accused for trial, I also recognize the fact that on May 19, 2008, the 12th accused voluntarily submitted herself to the court. It is settled law that where an accused person voluntarily submitted himself to court, application for bail is considered in his favour.
'It is from the foregoing reasons that this court will be exercising its discretion in favour of the 12th accused. Accordingly, she is granted bail in the sum of N10 million and a surety in the like sum. The surety must be a responsible citizen of Nigeria. In addition, she is to submit all her international passports, ordinary, personal and official to the registrar of the court and to be reporting to the Head of Operations of the EFCC 1st Monday of every month throughout the duration of the trial."
The court had earlier dismissed some of the issues canvassed by counsel to both parties as academic exercise that had no relevance to the subject matter.
Before her appearance in court on Monday, the EFCC had declared Iyabo Obasanjo wanted in connection with a two-count charge of stealing N10m belonging to the Federal Government.
The EFCC, it would be recalled had charged the sacked minister of health, Professor Adenike Grange, her deputy, Architect Gabriel Aduku and 11 others with graft involving the Health Ministry's N300 million.
Senator Iyabo-Bello's name, which was mentioned as a partaker in the crime, was initially not on the list of the accused persons. She was, however, joined as the 12th accused by the court.
According to the charge sheet, she was alleged to have, between December 2007 and March 2008 in Abuja while serving as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, dishonestly received the sum of N10 million belonging to the Federal Government, having reason to believe that same was stolen. Her action is said to have constituted an offence punishable under section 317 of the Penal Code Act Cap 352, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja.
Obasanjo-Bello who was brought into the courtroom shortly after the judge had sat walked straight into the dock and remained standing throughout the duration application for bail was argued by her counsel, Mr. Joel Akomolafe.
While in the dock, she supported her left hand on the edge of the box as she adjusted to her new environment. Moments later, she roved her gaze around the court to see the people who were already seated. When a seat was offered to her, she chose to stand. She later sat down with her back against the court during the period of the ruling.
While proceedings were, her lawyer gave her a document on which she wrote something with a black biro and returned it to the lawyer.
Wearing a multi-colour native attire with a veil around her neck, the lawmaker beamed with smiles soon after she was granted bail.
It was jubilation time for her teeming supporters who had thronged the court as early as 7.00a.m. Singing her praises, they heaped curses on the EFCC for attempting to humiliate their heroine.
Shouts of IOB (Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello) forever' rent the air as they sang and danced away.
As at the time of this report, Iyabo-Obasanjo was still at the court trying to perfect her bail conditions.