Court Remands Agbele, Fayose’s Ally, in Kuje Prisons

…To rule on bail application Thursday

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ordered that an associate of Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, Abiodun Agbele, be remanded in Kuje prisons pending the determination of his bail application.

Agbele and three others were arraigned on an eleven-count charge of money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the tune of N4.6bn allegedly transferred from the Office of the National Security Adviser by Col. Sambo Dasuki.

The other defendants are Sylvan Mcnamara Ltd, De Privateer Ltd and Spotless Investment Ltd.

Agbele has been in the custody of the EFCC since June 27, 2016.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba made the remand order after taking argument from counsel on the bail application moved by counsel to the defendant, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN.

Ozekhome had urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on self recognition.

Agbele had pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

Ozekhome, in an eight-paragraph affidavit supported by three exhibits deposed to by one Harrison Obi, urged the court to admit his client to bail on self recognition. He argued that the prosecution in his counter affidavit failed to raise any legal issue worth addressing at all, other than bare assertion that the applicant is a flight risk that will jump bail if granted.

While noting that the prosecution have not laid any shred of evidence to support their allegations that the defendant is a flight risk, he said, the onus is on them to show that if granted bail the defendant will abscond his trial.

Further details later