Justice Peter
O. Affem of the of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting
in Apo, Abuja, on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 admitted two members of an oil
syndicate, Emmanuel Owoicho, Managing Director, Owoema Resources Limited and
Michael Morowei Oghenemi, Managing Director, Standard Allied Universal Concept
Limited, to bail.
Owoicho and Oghenemi who were arraigned
on Thursday, February 19, 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, are being prosecuted on a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy and
obtaining by false pretence.
The accused persons had allegedly
conspired to sell a consignment of Bonny Light crude oil purportedly from the
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to Bascom Energy Limited to the
tune of N102m (one hundred and two million naira) .
The duo at
various times, collected money up to N115m (One Hundred and Fifteen Million
Naira) for the crude oil which was never supplied.
They had
pleaded not guilty to all the charge preferred against them.
Counsel to the
accused, Barrister Kazzim Bello Asunogei, while moving a motion for their bail
today, urged the court to admit his clients to bail saying, “the offence is
bailable”.
However, counsel to EFCC, Sylanus Tahir,
countered the application on the ground that, the accused persons may frustrate
their trial, if admitted to bail. He told the court that Oghenemi answers
different names adding that, it would be difficult to apprehend him in the
event that, he disappears after being granted bail.
Tahir also urged the court to deny
Owoicho bail on the grounds that the EFCC had a herculean task effecting his
arrest in Lagos
last year.
Justice Effem, after
listening to the submissions of the counsel, admitted the accused
to bail in the sum of N20m (Twenty Million Naira) each with two sureties in
like sum. The sureties, who must be
resident within the jurisdiction of the court, must produce two recent
passport-sized photographs which must be deposited with the Registrar of the
court, in addition to their physical addresses. One of the sureties must a
public servant not below Grade Level 16; one of the sureties must also deposit
title documents of landed properties in their names with the court Registrar.
The accused must also deposit their international passports and other
travel documents with the EFCC.
While adjourning the case to
March 25 and April 29 and 30, 2015 for trial to commence, Justice Affem ordered
the accused to be remanded at the Kuje Prison custody pending the time they
will meet the bail conditions.
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