A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail in the sum of N100m to Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court.
Ngwuta was earlier on Monday arraigned on 16 counts of money laundering and other sundry offences by the Department of State Services.
The bail sum is to be guaranteed by self-recognisance of the defendant in his capacity as a serving Justice of the Supreme Court.
It implied that Ngwuta would be released on bail after signing a bail bond worth N100m.
Justice Tsoho, in his ruling on the defendant’s bail application which was argued by defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), and opposed by the Federal Government, noted that the fears expressed by the prosecution about granting bail to the defenant were unfounded.
Prosecuting counsel, Charles Adeogun-Philips, said Justice Ngwuta should not be granted bail due to his alleged acts of dishonesty while he was on administrative bail granted him by the Department of State Service.
He argued that the circumstances surrounding Ngwuta’s cases were peculiar.
Adeogun-Philips, was responding to Justice Ngwuta’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), who had earlier urged the trial judge, Justice John Tsoho, to grant “affordable bail” in “self recognisance” to his client due to the defendant’s status as a Justice of the apex court.