Court sends Haruna back
to EFCC custody
•Rules on bail application
today
By GODWIN TSA, Abuja
Friday, August 8, 2008
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Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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Former Adamawa State Governor Boni Haruna was on Thursday
returned to the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) by a Federal High Court, Abuja division.
Justice Adamu Bello fixed today to deliver his ruling on the
bail applications brought by the ex-Adamawa governor and his
erstwhile special adviser, Mohammed Inuwa Bassie.
Both of them are standing trial over alleged embezzlement
of public funds to the tune of N93 million while in office.
The former governor was arraigned before Justice Adamu Bello
on a 21-count charge along Inuwa Bassie, who is now a member
of the Adamawa State House of Assembly.
Their bail applications, which was moved by Mr. Rickey Tarfa
[SAN], was opposed by counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Godwin Longs
on the ground that the accused persons would interfere with
the trial, if released on bail.
Tarfa who moved the bail applications prayed the court to
admit his clients to bail since the offences upon which they
were arraigned were ordinarily bailable.
He told the court that by the combined provisions of sections
35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution, the onus was on the prosecution
to give cogent reasons why the accused persons were not entitled
to bail pending trial.
According to the senior advocate of Nigeria, the accused persons
had satisfied all the conditions set out by law for the granting
of bail.
Besides, he submitted that as a two-time governor of Adamawa
State, Haruna would not do anything to jeopardize his trial,
but would provide credible sureties to guarantee his bail.
He therefore urged the court to exercise its discretion in
favour of the accused persons by granting them bail on very
liberal terms.
Oppsing the bail applications, the prosecution counsel, Longs
submitted that the accused were capable of interfering with
the case and witnesses since they (witnesses) were former
aides of the accused persons.
He argued that, “they have the power and means to interfere,”
adding that “the constitutional requirement of section
35 and 36 of the Constitution that guarantees bail does not
remove the discretion of the court and the court should refuse
them bail.”
According to the charge sheet, the suspects were accused of
conspiracy and alteration of some figures in a document to
defraud the state.
The former Chief Executive of Adamawa State was arrested by
the EFCC at about 5.30pm last Thursday over allegation of
corruption while serving as governor of the State between
1999 and 2007.
He was picked up by security operatives attached to the anti-
graft Commission at his residence in Abuja along with Inuwa
Bassie.
Meanwhile, Daily Sun gathered, just before going to press
yesterday, that Alhaji Aminu Dabo, former Managing Director
of the NPA was also picked up by the anti-graft commission.
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