Justice Hamza Muaza of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama has granted N500 million bail to a Lagos businessman, Akintoye Akindele.
According to The Nation, Justice Hamza Muazu, in a ruling on Tuesday, August 22, rejected the request by the lawyer for the prosecution, Simon Lough, to further detain the defendant to enable the police to conclude their investigation.
Justice Muazu agreed with the defence lawyer, Henry Eni-Otu that the offence, with which the defendant was charged, is ordinarily bailable.
He, therefore, granted Akindele, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company Lld, a bail of N500m, with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Muazu, who is sitting as the court’s vacation judge, said one of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT.)
The judge ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court.
Akindele was accused of offering an N50m bribe to men of the Nigeria Police Force.
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 to allow you to escape abroad and to write a report in your favour.”
