- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted embattled former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, N100 million.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, granted the bail with one surety in the ongoing trial of El-Rufai.
However, Justice Abdulmalik, in her ruling, imposed a series of strict conditions the defendant must meet before perfecting the bail.
According to reports, the court held that the proposed surety must reside in either the Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property at the court registry.
The surety is also required to be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and must provide evidence of salary payments for at least three months, authenticated by a letter from the manager of a bank within the jurisdiction of the court.
The court further ordered the surety to depose to an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond, and submit a recent passport photograph to the court registry.
On his part, El-Rufai is to deposit all valid international passports with the court registry.
The court also directed that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department be submitted, alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.
Justice Abdulmalik further ordered the defendant to report to the headquarters of the Department of State Services every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register pending the determination of the case.
More details later…