A Federal High Court siting in Maitama, Abuja has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to release a cousin of a former President Goodluck Jonathan, Azibaola Robert, on bail.
Justice Olasunbo Goodluck, ruling on Robert’s ex parte application ordered that the bail should be guaranteed by two sureties.
He said each of the sureties must be a serving or retired Director in any of the Federal Government’s ministries or parastatal and must be resident within Abuja.
The applicant would also deposit his passport to the Chief Registrar of the court.
The EFCC had on March 23, arrested Robert over an alleged diversion of $40m through a firm, One-Plus Holdings, which a sister company of Kakatar Construction and Engineering Company Limited, through allegedly phoney contract of securing oil pipelines.
He was said to have received the money from the then National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), who is also being prosecuted for diversion of funds allegedly meant for procurement of arms to fight insurgency.
Justice Goodluck’s ruling on the ex parte application by Robert, through his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), held that the applicant’s detention by the EFCC for over two weeks was unlawful.
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