Court Demands El-Rufai Allies’ Int’l Passports, 2 Sureties, Landed Property As Bail Conditions

The Federal High Court in Kaduna has granted bail to the Senior Advisor Counsellor to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Mr Jimi Lawal, and three others who were arraigned for fraud and other sundry charges.

However, the defendants were asked to provide two sureties, each with N50 million in like sum, the sureties having landed property in Kaduna and verified CofO.

The Defendants were also asked to deposit their international, national, green, and official passports, if any, before the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court Kaduna.

Jimi Lawal and the three others were arraigned before the Federal High Court over alleged N64m fraud by The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The anti-graft agency said the accused persons, including Lawal Adebisi, a former Senior Special Adviser to El-Rufai; Umar Waziri, the former Accountant General of Kaduna State; and Yusuf Inuwa, a former aide of the former Governor, as well as Solar Life Nigeria Limited, the company, which bank account was believed to have received the diverted funds, were dragged before the over an N64 million money laundering charge

According to the ICPC, in the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, the Commission accused Lawal of conspiring with the two other accused persons to divert the total sum of N64.800 million.

”The money was sent in three tranches of N10 million, N47.840 million, and N7.320 million to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Mr Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory.”

Speaking to journalists shortly after the Court sitting on Tuesday, Counsel to one of the Defendants, Johnson Usman SAN, explained, “Today, the case came up for arraignment. The four defendants have been arraigned, and we moved a motion for their bail, and the Court granted the bail.

“The Court, however, ordered that, pending the perfection of their bail condition, they should be remanded in prison custody, and we hope the perfection would be done in a jiffy, possibly tomorrow.

“The defendants were asked to provide two sureties, with some of N50 million in a like sum. The sureties must have adequately landed in Kaduna, and the Court Registrar must verify the CofO.

“The Court also demanded that the Defendants deposit their international passports, national passports, green passports, official passports if any, before the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court Kaduna,” he said.

However, he expressed optimism that the defendants would meet the bail condition as soon as possible so that they could be released from the prison where they are being remanded.