By Taiye Agbaje & Chinyere Onuorah
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday admitted former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai to a N100 million bail with one surety in like sum in the ongoing trial bordering on alleged breach of national security.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the former governor a bail after the Department of State Services (DSS)’s lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, did not oppose the bail application filed by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN.
Justice Abdulmalik, in the ruling, ordered that the surety, who must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro Districts of Abuja, must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of the landed property at the court registry.
The judge said the surety should be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and must provide evidence of salary payments for at least three months.
She ordered that the evidence must be authenticated by a letter from the manager of the bank within the jurisdiction of the court.
She further ordered the surety to depose to an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond and submit a recent passport photograph to the court registry.
Justice Abdulmalik equally ordered El-Rufai to deposit all his valid international passports with the court registrar.
She directed that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department be submitted, alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.
The judge further ordered the ex-governor to report to the headquarters of the DSS every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register pending the determination of the case.
She warned that failure to comply would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.
The judge, who directed El-Rufai to submit a letter of attestation from the chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council, ordered an accelerated trial and shifted the commencement of trial to pm today.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the DSS had, in the further amended charge marked: FHC/ABJ/99/2026, preferred a five counts against the former governor.
El-Rufai, who was arraigned on April 23 for allegedly intercepting the phone conversations of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, pleaded not guilty to the counts
The judge ordered that the defendant, who was brought from the custody of ICPC in relation to a separate case, be remanded in the custody of the DSS, pending the ruling on his bail application. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)