Court grants N500m bail to businessman accused of bribing policemen.

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama has granted N500M bail to a Lagos businessman, Dr Akintoye Akindele, accused of offering a N50m bribe to men of the Nigeria Police Force.

Akindele, who has been in police custody for weeks, was arraigned on Tuesday on a charge. Also Read: https://legalattorneyblog.com/2023/08/13/fg-and-emefiele-tackle-each-other-over-bail-custody/

The suit was marked CR/595/2023 and was filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police.

The prosecution claimed the defendant offered to bribe policemen investigating a case of funds diversion brought against him to enable him to escape abroad.

The charge read: “That you, Akintoye Akindele, male (49 years), MD/CEO of Duport Midstream Company Limited of D2 Mambilla Close Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos between August 5 and 9, 2023 in Abuja, while being investigated by SP Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini and his team on a petition submitted to the Inspector General of Police FIB by Summit Oil International Limited on allegation of diversion of the sum of $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25, you offered gratification of N150,000,000.00 and made part payment of N50,000,000.00 to SP Ibrahim Sini, a public servant in circumstance and to allow you to escape abroad and to write a report in your favour.”

Court grants N500m bail to businessman accused of bribing policemen.

The prosecution claimed the alleged offence is punishable under Section 118 of the Penal Code Law.

Akindele, however, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him, after which his lawyer applied for bail.

Justice Hamza Muazu, in a Tuesday ruling, rejected the lawyer’s request for the prosecution, Simon Lough SAN, to further detain the defendant to enable the police to conclude its investigation.

Justice Muazu agreed with the defence lawyer, Henry Eni-Otu, that the offence with which the defendant was charged is ordinarily bailable.

He granted Akindele bail to the tune of N500m with two sureties in like sum.

Justice Muazu, the court’s vacation judge, said one of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court.

He noted that since it would be impossible to conclude the case during the vacation, which would soon end, it was nearer to return the case file to the court’s Chief Judge for reassignment to a regular court after the break.

Justice Muazu then ordered the return of the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.

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