A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja on Tuesday granted N500 million bail to Lagos businessman Akintoye Akindele charged with alleged bribery offer of N150 million to the police.
In a ruling, Justice Hamza Muazu rejected the request by counsel Simon Lough (SAN) for the police to further detain the defendant to enable them conclude investigation.
But Justice Muazu agreed with the defence counsel Henry Eni-Otu that the alleged offence was bailable.
Consequently, the judge admitted Akindele, the managing director and chief executive officer of Duport Midstream Company Ltd, to bail in the sum of N500 million, with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Muazu, sitting as the vacation judge, said one of the sureties must own landed property within jurisdiction and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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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 end soon, it was better to return the case file to the chief judge of the FCT High Court for reassignment to a regular court after the vacation.
Justice Muazu then ordered the return of the case file to the chief judge for reassignment.
In the one-count charge, the prosecution alleged that the defendant offered to bribe policemen who were investigating a case of funds diversion brought against him, to enable him escape abroad.
Akindele pleaded not guilty to the charge.
