Abba Moro Bailed on Self Recognition ... Trial to Commence April 27

Abba Moro Bailed on Self Recognition 

... Trial to Commence April 27

 

 

An Abuja Federal High Court today granted bail on self recognition to former Minster of Interior, Abba Moro, who is charged over the 2014  Nigeria Immigration recruitment where more than a dozen job seekers died.

 

 

Moro was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Anastasia Nwobia, F.O. Alayebami and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited while Mahmood Ahmadu was said to be at large.

 

They are accused of defrauding 676, 675 applicants of the sum of N676, 675, 000, being the aggregate of N1000 paid by each applicant to Drexel ahead of the recruitment.

 

While delivering ruling on an application for bail by counsel to Moro and three others, Justice Anwuli Chikere, held that the prosecution failed to prove his case why bail should be denied the accused persons.

 

Chikere added that the prosecution failed to prove that if granted bail the applicant would interfere with investigation or destroy any evidence against him. The judge said EFCC failed to prove that Moro would interfere with his trial.

 

She upheld submission of Akinlolu Kehinde SAN,counsel to Moro, that the first defendant having been a public servant, a former minister and with no criminal record against him would not jump bail if granted.

 

“I agree with the defendant that as a former minister and a responsible and senior citizen of Nigeria will not jump bail or escape justice and will present himself at all tim4es for trial,” she said.

 

The judge also agreed that the offences the defendants were alleged to have committed were bailable granted bail to the second and third defendants on the sum of N100m each with surety in like sum.

 

 Chikere added that the sureties should be officers of civil service at either the federal or state level, and must also be at the level of a director. They will submit two recent passports with their names and addresses at the back of the passports,

They were arraigned on 11 counts charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretences (aka 419), procurement fraud and money laundering.

The accused persons were alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by not following the necessary procedure laid down by the government.

According to the EFCC, the award of the contract to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited had no prior advertisement, no needs assessment and a procurement plan was not carried out before the award of the contract.