BEVERLY HILLS, December 14, (THEWILL) – Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday granted the Chairman emeritus of Daar Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi bail in the sum N200m and two sureties in like sum, adding that the media mogul should be kept at the Kuje prison Abuja, until the perfection of the bail condition.
The judge, who faulted the argument of the prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN, that Dokpesi was facing an indictable felony charge and should as such be kept behind bars, ruled that one of sureties must be a director in the Civil Service while the defendant must deposit his international passport with the court.
Dokpesi’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome SAN, had filed the bail application on the grounds that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This was challenged by the prosecution counsel.
But pointing out that the prosecution had not proved that the accused person was a flight risk; Kolawole therefore held that there was no cause to deny him bail, pointing out that it was only in capital offences like murder that the court could deny granting bail to the accused person.
He stressed that the maximum penalty for the offence the defendant was alleged to have committed was seven years imprisonment, which he added was minimal in relation to penalties for capital offences.
The judge further gave an order restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from whittling down the bail granted Dokpesi by arresting him extra-judicially.
The businessman is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly receiving the sum of N2.1bn from the Office of the National Security adviser, ONSA, for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential media campaign.
The money was allegedly disbursed from funds earmarked for the procurement of arms to help the military better fight the Boko Haram insurgency.
