A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama has granted N500million bail to a Lagos businessman, Akintoye Akindele.
He was accused of offering N50m bribe to men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Justice Hamza Muazu, in a ruling on Tuesday, August 22, rejected the request by the lawyer for the prosecution, Simon Lough (SAN) to further detain the defendant to enable the police 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.
Akindele, who has been in police custody for weeks, was arraigned on Tuesday on a one-count charge, marked: CR/595/2023 filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The prosecution claimed the defendant offered to bribe policemen, who were investigating a case of funds diversion brought against him, to enable him escape abroad.
Akindele denied the prosecution’s claim by pleading not guilty when the charge was read to him, following which his lawyer applied for bail.
