Leadership (Abuja)
George Agba
22 May 2008
Reprieve came the way of the embattled daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, as an Abuja high court granted her bail under certain stringent conditions.
The trial judge, Justice Salisu Garba, ordered that the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health should deposit her international passport as well as all her diplomatic passports in the court, just as she must ensure that she report to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission every first week of every month until the conclusion of her trial.
Not satisfied, the judge said he was admitting Obasanjo-Bello to bail in the sum of N10 million and a surety in like sum. The surety, according to Justice Garba, must be a prominent citizen resident in Abuja.
The EFCC had, through its counsel, Mr. James Binang, prayed the court to make the conditions for her bail stringent in order to compel her to appear even as it pointed out that she was evasive.
Obasanjo-Bello was on Monday made to kiss the long arm of the law when the judge ordered that she should be remanded in the EFCC custody pending the determination of her formal bail application.
Justice Garba held that since the case was a joint one with that of former health minister, Adenike Grange, and 10 others, which bothered on alleged theft of N300 million, she must also spend some days like the other accused in the EFCC cell.
But Obasanjo-Bello, through her counsel Bankole Akomolafe, alleged a threat by the EFCC to deal with her whenever its officials set their hands on her and the judge re-directed that she should be remanded at Maitama police station instead.
In the formal application for bail made by her counsel, Obasanjo-Bello contended that section 536 (5) of the 1999 constitution provides that an accused person is innocent until the contrary is proved.
EFCC's counsel did not oppose the bail application. He only urged the court to ensure that her bail conditions are not too favourable in order to check her evasive nature which might inebriate her to the extent of making her avoid the court.
The matter was shut down for a while before the court resumed at about 1:30 pm for ruling.
While ruling on the bail application, the judge said, "Considering the fact that the prosecution did not oppose the bail application, it is hereby granted in the interest of justice.
"The travelling documents of the accused should be handed over to the court between now and August."
He consequently adjourned the matter to June 5, 2008 for trial.
Bankole had contended that his client, was not on the run as alleged by the EFCC.
He urged the court to exercise its discretion to grant the accused bail because she would never jump bail or shun court trial.
As soon as she was granted bail, Obasanjo-Bello's supporters who crowded the court, threw themselves into wild jubilation as they sang songs of praise.
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