Claimed Bribery: Duport Midstream MD/CEO, Akindele Granted N500m Bail

Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama, on Tuesday granted bail to the tune of N500m to the detained Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company Ltd, Dr. Akintoye Akindele. INDEPENDENT reports.InformationGuideNigeria

Dr. Akindele had been detained over an allegation that he bribed men of the Nigerian Police Force with N50m. Akindele, who has been in police custody for weeks, was arraigned on Tuesday on a one-count charge, marked: CR/595/2023, filed on behalf of the Inspector General of Police.

However, Akindele denied the prosecution’s claim by pleading not guilty when the charge was read to him, following which his lawyer applied for bail.

Specifically, the Police had claimed that Akindele offered to bribe policemen, who were investigating a case of funds diversion brought against him, to enable him to escape abroad.

But ruling on Akindele’s bail application, Justice Muazu held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.

Justice Muazu, a vacation judge added that one of the sureties must own a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and should be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT.)JAMB Portal

More so, the court ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the registrar of the court, and must not travel without the court’s consent.

The court made the order having declined the request by the prosecution counsel, Simon Lough (SAN) to further detain the defendant to enable the police to wrap up its investigation.JAMB Result

Justice Muazu reasoned with Akindele’s lawyer, Henry Eni-Otu that the offence, in which the defendant was charged to court, “is ordinarily bailable”.

According to Justice Muazu, since the matter cannot be determined during the vacation period, which is almost ending, it was better to return the case file to the court’s Chief Judge for reassignment to a regular court after the vacation.NYSC Portal 

Consequently, Justice Muazu ordered the return of the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.

The charge reads: “That you Akintoye Akindele, male (49 years), MD/CEO of Duport Midstream Company Limited of D2 Mambilla Close Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos between 5th and 9th August 2023 in Abuja, while being investigated by SP Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini and his team on a petition submitted to the Inspector General of Police FIB by Summit Oil International Limited on allegation of diversion of the sum of $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25, you offered gratification of N150,000,000.00 and made part payment of N50,000,000.00 to SP Ibrahim Sini, a public servant in circumstance and for the purpose of allowing you to escape abroad and to write a report in your favour.”

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