FORMER DAAR Communication Plc Chairman Raymond Dokpesi yesterday arrived in Kuje Prison ahead of the perfection of his bail terms.
He was shielded from anxious inmates at the facility by warders.
According to a source, Dokpesi was brought to the prison at about 4.55pm and immediately taken to the Prison Chief’s office.
The source said: “We have received Dokpesi in Kuje Prison and perfected his records before allocating him a cell.
“Upon sighting Dokpesi, most of the inmates who were abreast of the ongoing anti-corruption trials, were anxious to see him.
“But we decided to keep him in the office of the Officer-In-Charge to avoid being hurt by some inmates. Warders succeeded in shielding him from inmates.”
The source described Dokpesi as “certainly moody”.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday ordered that Dokpesi should submit his international passport or any other international document that could enable him travel out of the country.
He also said the accused person should be remanded in Kuje Prison pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
The judge granted Dokpesi bail in the sum of N200m with two sureties in like sum.
He said: “One of the sureties must be a public servant, either serving or retired, and not below the rank of director, while the second surety must be an entrepreneur who must submit evidence of tax payment in the last three years.
”The sureties must tender title deeds of landed properties in any part of Nigeria, the value of which must not be below N200milion.”
The judge said one of the sureties must be a serving or retired civil servant of the rank of a director in either the federal or state civil service.
If retired, the surety must show a retirement letter indicating the organisation where he or she had served.
Justice Kolawole also said the second surety must be a private entrepreneur with evidence of three years tax clearance certificate and a verifiable landed property worth N200 million.
He said the sureties must sign an undertaking of forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government, in the event that the defendant did not make himself available for trial.
Justice Kolawole also directed that Dokpesi should not be arrested by any government agency for any investigation.
He said if any government agency wanted further investigation on the case, it should approach the defendant’s lawyers to make him available.
Dokpesi, who was arraigned alongside his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Limited on Wednesday, 9 December 2015, pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).
Moving his application for bail at the last sitting, his defence counsel, Mike Ozekhome(SAN), urged the court to grant the accused person bail on self-recognition.
Ozekhome said: “The applicant has not contributed to the insurgency by his act and the only reason he is held in custody is because of mere speculation of future investigation, which this honourable court cannot act on.
“The alleged offence is bailable. My Lord, the accused will not jump bail, as he has families and dependants. “
Opposing the bail application, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs(SAN), said : “The nature of the offence is corruption and a serious one.
”The accused initially denied having any transaction with the office of the National Security Adviser until he was confronted with the evidence. Therefore, such a person cannot be granted bail, as this is coming when the country is trying to change its corruption rating in the international community.”
The case was adjourned till February 17, next year for trial.
