By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
About 24 hours after the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) filed a 17-count charge against the former minister of aviation, Chief femi Fani-Kayode, at a Federal High Court, the former minister has asked the court to admit him on bail.
The ex-minister also told the court that the commission is asking him to refund the N840million campaign fund he got from the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2015 general elections as part of the conditions for his release.
He said the sole reason he had remained in detention is because of the demand by the commission that he should refund the money.
In the motion for bail filed on behalf by his counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji, a senior advocate, Fani-Kayode told the court that he would be ready and willing to provide a responsible surety (ies) as may be required by the court as a condition(s) for the grant of this application.
The senior advocate further argued that under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), bail was more relaxed as all offences were bailable “and in the class of offences charged, it is the prosecution that has a burden to show why bail should be refused.
“Moreso, under the Act, all offences can be compounded by plea bargain. So it is not about imprisonment any longer, he said.
He further argued in the motion that, one of the co-accused in the charge, a former minister of finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, who allegedly received the money from government and paid Fani-Kayode wrote that she did not know the money was from government. So how will Fani-Kayode know?”
The EFCC slammed Fani-Kayode and Usman with a 17 count charge for fraud and money laundering.
Fani-Kayode was arrested for allegedly receiving N840m during the presidential campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan.