Skip to main content

Court remands ex -Adamawa gov., Fintiri, in Kuje prison

An Abuja Federal High Court on Thursday ordered the remand of a former Acting Governor of Adamawa, Ahmadu Fintri, in Kuje prison pending the determination of his bail application.

Fintri was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge bordering on money laundering.

He was said to have defrauded the Adamawa government to the tune of N970 million and 4.8 million dollars when he was the governor of the state for three months.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

His counsel, Mahmud Magaji, applied for his bail contending that the offences were bailable.

Magaji based his bail arguments on Section 35 (6) of the 1999 Constitution which presumes his client innocent until proven guilty.

Furthermore, he relied on sections 158 and 163 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in urging the court to admit the defendant to bail.

“We rely on these sections in seeking the order of the court to admit the defendant to bail pending the determination of the case.

“At this stage, the accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the prosecution.

“Also, bail is discretionary and prior to the arraignment of the defendant, he had been on administrative bail of the EFCC.

“Part of the requirements of the bail was that the defendant had to deposit his International Passport with the EFCC,’’ he said.

Magaji assured the court that Fintri would not jump bail and that he would always be available to face his trial.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr Peters Aso, opposed the application and urged the court to take judicial notice of a document filed by the defence concerning a medical issue of the defendant.

Aso said that it appeared that Fintri had lied on oath since the date, which he said, the doctor told him of his ailment was earlier than the date he said he was examined.

The prosecuting counsel said that although he was not a medical personnel, he believed that one should be first examined before being told of his health condition.

Aso, therefore, prayed the court to deny the bail application and remand the defendant in prison for the period of the trial.

The judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, however, fixed ruling on the bail application for July 1.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...