Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court on yesterday admitted to bail, a British national, James Nolan ,who is standing trial in the controversial gas supply contract, (P&ID) that led to $9.6billion judgement liability against Nigeria, in the sum of N500million and a surety in likesum.
The Judge ordered the Briton who was charged alongside his compatriot, Adam Quinn ,at large , to produce a serving Senator to stand surety for him in the same bail sum.
In addition, the court said the Senator must be someone that does not have a criminal case that is pending in any court in the country and must have a landed property that is fully developed in the Maitama District of Abuja.
Justice Abang stressed that an officer of the Court would verify the statutory Certificate of Occupancy of the property as issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
Besides, Abang , held that the proposed surety must submit a three years tax clearance certificate and sign an undertaking to always be present in court with the defendant throughout the duration of the trial.
The surety is to depose an affidavit of means with two passport photographs and undertake to pay the total bail sum, should the defendant escapes from the country before the conclusion of his trial.
The court equally ordered the defendant to surrender all his international passports, even as it mandated the Nigerian Immigration Service to confirm how many passports that were issued to him within the past 20 years.