Alleged serial fraudster, Fred Ajudua, has been granted bail by a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.
PM news report that Vacation
judge, Justice Ganiyu Safari granted Ajudua bail in the sum N50 million
with two sureties on the grounds of his failing health. Ajudua and his
co-defendant Charles Orie, are accused by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, of duping Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, two
Dutch businessmen, of $1.69 million (about N270 million).
Ajudua
was first arraigned in 2003, and was granted bail two years later to
seek medical attention in India over his kidney-related ailment.
He
absconded for several years, forcing the then trial judge, Justice
Olubunmi Oyewole to revoke his bail and declare him wanted.
After
seven years of running from justice, Ajudua finally surfaced two months
ago to attend his trial and further sought for bail from the court.
Justice Oyewole promptly turned down his bail request and made an order remanding him in Kirikiri Prisons.
Last
week, while in prison, Ajudua’s lawyer filed a fresh bail application
on the ground that his client’s health condition had deteriorated.
He
told the court that Ajudua was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching
Hospital three weeks ago after a kidney malfunction that resulted in him
passing out blood as urine.
Wemimo Ogunde, counsel to the EFCC, opposed the bail application and insisted that Ajudua did not deserve a fresh bail.
Ogunde
argued that there is a huge chance that Ajudua would abscond again if
granted bail “as he ran away from trial for seven years.”
In his ruling on the matter today, Justice Safari held that there is enough compelling health grounds to grant Ajudua bail.
