A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory located in Maitama granted bail to Mike Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni, each in the amount of N10 million on Friday.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and his associate received bail shortly after being arraigned on a 12-count criminal indictment brought forth by the federal government.
According to reports from Daily Trust, the charges were lodged by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation concerning alleged forgery of several documents, including an international passport and an irrevocable power of attorney.
These documents were reportedly utilized to assert ownership of a property in London and were said to have been improperly obtained by the deceased Jeremiah Useni.
Both defendants, appearing through their respective legal counsel, entered a plea of not guilty to the allegations.
The prosecuting attorney, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), did not contest the bail requests presented by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) on behalf of Ozekhome and F.R. Onoja (SAN) representing Useni.
In a concise ruling, Justice Chizoba Oji granted each defendant bail set at N10 million, requiring them to present a surety who owns property within the Federal Capital Territory. Additionally, she mandated the surrender of their international passports to the court.
Given that the court proceedings occurred on a Friday, Justice Oji noted that should the defendants fail to meet their bail conditions immediately, they may return home but must reappear in court on Monday. Should they not fulfill the conditions by that time, they will be remanded in custody.
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