Court remands ex-NAF chief in Kuje prison until bail conditions satisfied

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday granted bail to retired Air Vice Marshal Tony Omenyi, who was accused of illegally transferring over N130 million to a private company account.

Mr. Omenyi was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a three-count charge bothering on illegal transfer of money on three different occasions.

He was accused of carrying out the crime while serving as the Managing Director of Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Ltd. (AETSL).

The EFCC had alleged that the defendant illegally transferred N24. 8 million to Huzee/Sky Expert Nig. Ltd.’s account domiciled with the First City Monument Bank, on January 8, 2014.

The commission also alleged that the retired air force chief illegally transferred N61.5 million to the same account from August 12, 2014 to August 23, 2014, and another sum of N50 million to the same account on November 18, 2014.

Huzee/Sky Expert Nig. Ltd. is described in the EFCC charge sheet as a contractor of the AETSL.

The EFCC said that Mr. Omenyi was fully aware that the said funds formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity.

It said that the offences, contravened Section 15(2) of the Money Laundering and Prohibition Act, 2011, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

At the resumed sitting to consider the bail application, filed by the defendant’s counsel, Wahab Olatoye, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba granted the accused bail in the sum of N60 million.

The Judge also ordered two sureties who must have a N30 million bail bond each and a landed property each in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) or Lagos.

Dimgba said that the sureties should also be professional businessmen or a civil servant not below the level of an Assistant Director in the federal civil service.

According to the judge, where the landed property is located in a satellite town of the FCT, it must be a fully developed that is worth the bail bond granted to the sureties.

Dimgba added that the defendant must also deposit his international passport with the court’s registrar and must not travel out of the country without the prior knowledge of the court.

The judge ordered the defendant be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the time he fulfils the bail conditions.

He adjourned the matter to December 15, January 23, 2017 and January 24, 2017 for trial.