NAN – An Ikeja High Court on Wednesday granted a one million naira bail to former Oceanic Bank Manager, Efe Egube, charged with N15 million fraud.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, in a ruling on the defendant’s application, said the bail was granted on health grounds.
Egube had dislocated his ankle while attempting to evade arrest by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The judge said although the EFCC counsel, Mr Ben Ubi, had opposed the application, the court had to grant Egube bail to enable him to seek proper treatment.
She directed the 39-year old defendant to pay the money through a bank draft issued in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Lagos State Judiciary.
The judge also ordered Egube to deposit his international passport with the chief registrar, pending the conclusion of the trial.
According to her, the defendant is to produce two blood relatives as sureties and they are to deposit N500,000 each.
Ipaye said the sureties must be resident in Lagos State and also produce evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The judge directed that Egube should be remanded in Kirikiri Medium Prison pending when he meets the bail terms.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant was arraigned alongside his company, Ocean Energy Trading Services Ltd. on Nov.3.
He is facing an 18-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences.
The EFCC said Egube committed the offences between July 2007 and March 2008 while he was Manager of Oceanic Bank, Eleganza branch in Apapa, Lagos.
The anti-graft agency said the former bank manager obtained the amount from Sanisu Kamba and his company, Aminu Gandi Petroleum Ltd.
The commission said the defendants claimed the money represented part payments for the supply of petroleum products to the complainants.
According to the EFCC, Egube failed to supply the products as agreed after collecting the money.
It said the offence contravened Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act of 2006.
The matter was adjourned to Jan. 27 for trial.
