By Fortune Eromosele – Abuja
An FCT High Court sitting in Jabi, Friday, adopted a bail application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to release former Chairman Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, Mrs Ngozi Olejeme, to bail.
The court adopted the administrative bail conditions already granted the defendant by the EFCC.
The conditions stated that the defendant provided two assistant directors in government establishments as sureties.
Trial Justice Maryam Hassan Aliyu in the ruling directed that the travel documents of the defendant be submitted at the court’s registry as well as her international passport.
After the witness was discharged from the witness box, Justice Aliyu adjourned the matter until November 8, 2021, for hearing.
Vanguard reports that on Thursday, the court ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC’s custody pending Friday’s ruling on the bail application as brought by the defendant’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN.
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Olejeme is standing trial over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds and money laundering.
The offence it was alleged she committed between 2012 and 2015 when she was the board chairman of the NSITF.
The nine-count charge bordering on mismanagement, giving false statements, taking a kickback from contracts and diversion of NSITF funds into personal accounts and companies she had an interest in, formed the basis for the defendant’s arraignment.
One of the charges alleged that the funds were diverted through the award of suspicious contracts to proxy companies.
The offence according to prosecution contravened the provisions of sections 8,19 (1) (b) (1), punishable under the Corrupt Practice & other Related Offence Act 2000 and Section 17, (1) (2), 39 of EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against her.
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