Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted bail to the founder of DAAR Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi, in the sum of N200m and two sureties in like sum, but held that he be kept at the Kuje prison, Abuja, pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
The judge ruled that one of sureties must be a director in the Civil Service while the defendant must deposit his international passport with the court.
He faulted the argument of the prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, that Dokpesi was facing an indictable felony charge and should as such be kept behind bars. He said that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Kolawole held that it was only in capital offences like murder that the court could deny granting bail to the accused person, noting that the maximum penalty for the offence the defendant was alleged to have committed was seven years imprisonment, which he added was minimal in relation to penalties for capital offences.
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