A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has granted N500 million bail to a Lagos businessman, Dr Akintoye Akindele, accused of offering N50 million bribe to men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
In a ruling on Tuesday, the trial Judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, rejected the Counsel’s request to the prosecution, Simon Lough (SAN), to further detain the defendant to enable the police to conclude the investigation.
Justice Muazu agreed with the defence Counsel, Henry Eni-Otu, that the offence with which the defendant was charged is ordinarily bailable and proceeded to admit Akindele, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company Lld, to bail at N500 million, with two sureties in like sum.
The Judge, who is sitting as the court’s vacation judge, said one of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT.)
Justice Muazu ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court and noted that, since it will be impossible to conclude the case during the vacation, which will soon end, he ordered the return of the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.
Akindele, who has been in police custody for weeks, was arraigned on Tuesday on a one-count charge: CR/595/2023 filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The prosecution claimed that the defendant offered to bribe policemen, who were investigating a case of funds diversion brought against him, to enable him to escape abroad.
Akindele denied the prosecution’s claim by pleading not guilty when the charge was read to him, after which his Counsel applied for bail.
The charge reads, “That you, Akintoye Akindele, male (49 years), MD/CEO of Duport Midstream Company Limited of D2 Mambilla Close Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos between 5th and 9th August 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 for the purpose of allowing you to escape abroad and to write a report in your favour.”
The prosecution claimed that the alleged offence is punishable under Section 118 of the Penal Code Law.