UPDATED: Court grants Justice Ngwuta N100m bail

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Justice Sylvester Ngwuta

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, granted bail in the sum of N100m to a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who was earlier in the day, arraigned on 16 counts, including money laundering and offences relating to obtaining of multiple passport.

 

The bail sum is to be guaranteed by self-recognisance of the defendant in his capacity as a serving Justice of the Supreme Court.

 

It implied that Ngwuta would be released on bail after signing a bail bond worth N100m.

 

Justice Tsoho, in his ruling on ‎the defendant’s bail application which was argued by defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), and opposed by the Federal Government, noted that the fears expressed by the prosecution about granting bail to the defenant were unfounded.

 

Opposing the bail application made by Justice of the Supreme Court, the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Charles Adeogun-Philips, said Justice Ngwuta should not be granted bail due to justice’s acts of dishonesty while he was on administrative bail granted him by the Department of State Service.

 

He said the circumstances surrounding Ngwuta’s cases were peculiar.

 

Adeogun-Philips, was responding to  Justice Ngwuta’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), who had earlier urged the trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, to grant “affordable bail” in “self recognisance” to his client due to the defendant’s status as a Justice of the Supreme Court