Court Fixes June 20 To Rule On Bail Application Of Jonathan’s Aide

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A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos will decide on Monday June 20 whether or not to grant bail to a former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei.

Dudafa and one Iwejuo Joseph Nna are facing a 23 count charge bordering on fraud totaling about N5billion.

Yesterday, they were arraigned before Justice Mohammed Idris, who subsequently fixed Thursday, June 16 for the hearing of their bail applications.

When the case was called, counsel to the former President’s aide, Mr Gbenga Oyewole, cited certain provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the 1999 Constitution as amended to make a case for his client to be admitted to bail.

He insisted that his client is a person of integrity who has held public office since 2003 and as such would not jump bail.

He also told the court that the former presidential aide suffered from a spinal cord injury and was actually on his way abroad for treatment when he was arrested.

He urged the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the defendant and grant him bail in the most liberal terms.

Counsel to the second accused, Mr Sunday Abumere aligned himself with Mr Oyewole’s submission.

The EFCC prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, however vehemently opposed the application.

He told the court that the former presidential aide is a flight risk as the defense of ill-health was an after thought, with no document from an expert to back it up.

The counsel also told the court that the defendant had procured a fake surety, who submitted forged documents when he was earlier granted administrative bail by the EFCC.

The possibility of the first defendant tampering with other suspects said to be at large was another basis for which the prosecution urged the court to refuse bail.

Justice Idris was told that the EFCC had intelligence report indicating that it would not be in the interest of justice to grant the former presidential aide bail.

For the second accused person, the prosecution told the court that he was also a flight risk, having being suspended from his job as a Branch Manager at Heritage Bank.

After listening to all the submissions, Justice Idris fixed June 20 for ruling and ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody pending the ruling on their bail applications.