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CBN Fraud: After Three Years Of Trial, Court Dock Bankers Again

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CBN Fraud: After three years ed ruling on the bail request made by the eight bankers standing trial in the Central Bank of Nigeria N8bn mutilated currency fraud.on trial for an N8 billion scam case, a Federal High Court, Ibadan Division, headed by Justice Mrs. J.O. Abdulmalik, yesterday adjourn

CBN Fraud

Abdulmalik said she would now rule on the bail application on October 25, 2017, as the counsel to five of the eight bankers still standing trial, Oluwatoyin Sadiq, argued that denying the defendants bail again after three years in prison was like trampling on their right to bail.

She said after spending three years behind the bars, the defendants had become ill and frail, while some of them who were nursing serious health conditions had been unable to attend to their health.

Among the those who were brought to court were Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Muniru, Kayode Toogun,Olufemi Afolabi, Isaq Akano, Ayodeji Aleshe, Ajiwe Sunday, Festus Adeyemi and Akeem Oyebamiji.

Sadiq said, “The defendants are requesting to be granted bail after three years in prison so that they can attend to their deteriorating health. An affidavit dated June 19, 2017 had been submitted to support the request. It was sworn to by Abdulganiy Dauda, who is a brother to the second defendant.”

“The main issue is that whether the applicants will jump bail and whether their application is meritorious. The issue of jumping bail is subjective because nobody knows the mind of a man. Every refusal for applicants’ bail is an infringement on their rights. They have families with reputable sureties if granted bail.”

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“The position that they could tamper with evidence is also subjective. The prosecution said that the applicants were serial offenders but that should not be the condition to determine my lordship’s decision. A former Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari, was taken to court by the EFCC. He was convicted but he appealed and was granted bail. The rule is that even a convicted person can be granted bail.”

Sadiq, also told the court that all the properties of the defendants had been taken over by the EFCC, adding that he would volunteer as a surety to ensure that all the fears were vacated.

Prosecution counsel, Adebisi Adeniyi, however objected the request, saying that the deponent to the affidavits submitted by the defence counsel lacked the authority to say that the defendants were suffering from failing health.

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