N109.5bn fraud allegations: Court grants Accountant-General, Idris Ahmed, others bail  

The Federal High Court sitting   in Abuja on Thursday granted bail to the Accountant General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, and other defendants being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC). The EFCC had submitted to the bail application but gave terms and conditions for the granting of the bail or it could be revoked.

The presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Adeyemi Ajayi, in his judgment directed that the defendants shall not leave the Federal Capital Territory, and should they intend to leave the FCT, they would have to seek clearance from the court or have their bail revoked.

The Judge ordered the defendants to sign an undertaking that they will abide by the bail conditions prescribed by the EFCC.

He mandated that the defendants should not obtain and shall not procure alternate passports until the case is c concluded as they had submitted their original passports to the EFCC.

Justice Ajayi observed that the bail was granted since the EFCC is yet to prove the allegations against the accountant-general and others being prosecuted with  him. He asserted that in observance of the rule of law, the defendants are entitled to bail in-spite of allegations against them, as long as the prosecution did not complain that the defendants misbehaved while in EFCC custody.

The EFCC is prosecuting the Accountant-General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed,  and others on 14-count charge on allegations of theft and criminal breach of trust in the sum of N109.5 billion.