A court in Maitama, Abuja, took decisive action on Tuesday by revoking the bail previously granted to Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, one of the defendants in the trial involving former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.
The charges relate to an alleged fraudulent diversion of public funds amounting to N109.5 million, News Agency of Nigeria reported.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the court in the FCT, decided after Akindele failed to appear in court for the continuation of the trial. In this case, Akindele, the second defendant in CR/199/2022, is being tried alongside Idris, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
The charges, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), include 14 counts related to stealing and the fraudulent diversion of public funds.
Despite pleas from Akindele’s counsel, S.E. Adino, that his client was en route to court and had consistently attended previous hearings, Justice Halilu remained firm in revoking the bail.
The judge asserted that when a court grants bail, the defendant must reciprocate by attending the trial, stating that Akindele’s absence demonstrated a lack of good character.
Halilu consequently revoked Akindele’s bail and directed the FCT Commissioner of Police and the EFCC to arrest and produce him in court for the next adjourned date, scheduled for February 1, 2024.
During the proceedings, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, the prosecuting counsel, informed the court of a letter from Idris’s counsel but noted the absence of any communication from the counsel for Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited. Atolagbe expressed concern that the lack of representation for Idris might be a deliberate attempt to delay the trial.
Backstory
Idris, as the former Accountant-General, is being accused of accepting a gratification of N15,136,221,921.46 from Akindele between February and December 2021.
The prosecution alleges that this amount, converted to its dollar equivalent by Akindele, was not part of Idris’s official remuneration but served as an incentive to expedite the payment of a 13% derivation to nine oil-producing states.
The EFCC contends that the defendants violated Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 533 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, and they are to be held accountable under the same section.
Additionally, Idris and Akindele are charged with criminal breach of trust for dishonestly receiving N84,390,000,000 between February and November 2021.