Jimi Lawal
A federal high court in Kaduna has granted bail to Jimi Lawal, an ex-aide to Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday arraigned Lawal alongside three others over alleged fraud and money laundering.
Other defendants are Umar Waziri, the former accountant-general of Kaduna state; Yusuf Inuwa, another ex-aide to the former governor; and Solar Life Nigeria Limited.
The anti-corruption commission alleged that the defendants conspired and diverted N64.8 million in three tranches to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, a company where Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory.
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All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Granting the bail applications, the court ordered the defendants to provide two sureties with N50 million in like sum.
The court ruled that the sureties must also have landed property in Kaduna, with a verified certificate of occupancy (C of O).
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It added that they must deposit their international passports, national passports, green passports, and official passports, if any, with the deputy chief registrar of the court.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the court session, Johnson Usman, the counsel to the defendants, said they would meet the bail conditions soon.
“The court however ordered that, pending the perfection of their bail conditions, they should be remanded in prison custody, and we hope the perfection would be done in a jiffy, possibly tomorrow,” Usman said.
“The defendants were asked to provide two sureties, with some of N50 million in a like sum. That, the sureties must have landed properly in Kaduna and the C of O must be verified by the registrar of the court.
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“We are hopeful that the defendants will meet the bail conditions as soon as possible, and they will be released from prison custody.”
The case has been adjourned to March 26 and 27 for trial.
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