They both pleaded not guilty to the five counts, three of which related to Gwarzo and the two others to Garuba, when the charges were read to them before Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja. Shortly after the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, their lawyers moved their separate bail applications anchored on the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and filed on May 30. The defence lawyers, Mr. Abdulhakeem Mustapha, SAN, (for Gwarzo) and Mr. A. A Malik (for Gruba), urged the court to grant bail to their clients in the same terms and conditions as ICPC had done administratively prior to their Tuesday’s arraignment. The ICPC, represented by its lawyer Mr. Henry Emore, confirmed the defence lawyers’ claim that the defendants had been faithful to the conditions of the administrative bail earlier granted them by the commission. After the defence lawyers briefly argued their clients’ separate applications on Tuesday, Justice Baba-Yusuf granted bail to each of them in the sum of N25m to be secured by a surety each. The judge who noted that under the ACJA which came into force in 2015, granting bail to a defendant especially when not opposed by the prosecution was sacrosanct. He directed that the sureties to be produced by the defendants must not be less than a Deputy Director in any Federal Government establishment. The sureties must be resident and own landed properties in Abuja, the judge said, adding that they must also submit the title documents of the properties to the court’s registry. Ruling that the essence of bail was to ensure that the defendants appeared for their trial, the judge ordered them to deposit their passports with the court’s registry. They can formally apply for the passports whenever they have cause to travel abroad, the judge said. The court adjourned the case until June 28 and 29 for trial. PUNCH NEWSPAPER Add 0802 739 7554 To Receive SKYTREND NEWS Alerts On WhatsApp; For Adverts Enquiries, Whatsapp 0802 739 7554, Send Articles & News Stories To editor@skytrendnews.com. READ ALSO! 14-Year-Old Pregnant Housemaid Dislodges Her Childless Madam, Says I Can’t Share Husband With You READ ALSO! SHOCKING, ALARMING: Nigerian FRSC Official Engages Woman In Serious Physical Combat (VIDEO) READ ALSO! How I Stopped Obasanjo From Becoming Nigerian Version Of Mugabe — Atiku READ ALSO! I’m Happy Leaving My Husband, Nine Children For New Lover — Housewife After 23 Years Of Marriage READ ALSO! The Smart CEO: Top 5 Websites To Get Cheap Domain Name Registration READ ALSO! First Bank’s Appalling Customer Service And Utter Disregard For Its Customers READ ALSO! Between GoDaddy And Namecheap: Making The Best Choice For Domain Name Registrar READ ALSO! Nigerian Filmmaker, Zuriel Oduwole Makes Forbes List Of 100 Most Influential African Women READ ALSO! Woman Marries Her Son After Getting Pregnant For Him ]]>