A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna State has granted bail to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, in his ongoing corruption trial, with stringent conditions, including a prohibition on public commentary about the case.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa delivered the ruling after considering arguments presented by both the prosecution and defence following earlier adjournments.
The court admitted el-Rufai to bail in the sum of N200 million, with two sureties in like amount.
Also, as part of the conditions, one surety must be a senior civil servant not below Grade Level 15, while the other must be a recognised traditional ruler.
In addition, the court directed that the sureties deposit their international passports and mandated the former governor to attend all court proceedings without fail.
Significantly, the court barred el-Rufai from making any public statements regarding the case, effectively placing a gag order on him throughout the trial duration.
Despite the bail approval, the ex-governor will remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pending the fulfilment of all bail conditions.
The former governor is currently facing multiple charges bordering on alleged financial misconduct, abuse of office, and mismanagement of public funds during his tenure in office.
el-Rufai is being prosecuted by the ICPC on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged corrupt practices.
Meanwhile, at the Kaduna State High Court, proceedings in a separate case related to el-Rufai took a different turn as the presiding judge, Justice Darius Khobo, adjourned ruling on his bail application to April 21.
Counsel to the defendant informed the court that the defence team was served with an amended charge in court and required time to study its contents.
The prosecution, also led by the ICPC, had filed an amended nine-count charge, altering the scope of the case and dropping a co-defendant, Amadu Sule, from the trial.
Defence counsel, Ubong Akpan, explained that the adjournment was also due to the inability of the court to deliver the ruling as scheduled, citing the bereavement of the presiding judge.
el-Rufai is facing separate charges before the Kaduna State High Court bordering on abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, and conferring undue advantage.
