Travails of former Chairman, DAAR Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, are far from over as his hopes of being granted bail by the Federal High Court, Abuja, dimmed on Thursday after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had opened a fresh probe into the payment of N8.4bn to the businessman by the Federal Government.
Punch reveals that the counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, said this while opposing Dokpesi’s application for bail as canvassed by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), during Dokpesi’s appearance in court in Abuja.
On Wednesday, Ozekhome had said his client had been in the EFCC custody for eight days, adding that the offences, for which the embattled businessman was standing trial, were bailable.
The EFCC charged Dokpesi and DIHL with fraudulent receipt of N2.1bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser between October 2014 and March 19, 2015.
Opposing the bail application, however, Jacobs urged the court to reject the application on the grounds that the Federal Government was investigating a fresh allegation of N8.4bn the accused collected for airing the FIFA Under-17 championship, which Nigeria hosted in January, 2012.
Jacobs added that the airing right was given to DAAR Communications by FIFA and the Federal Government was not a party to the contract for which he allegedly collected N8bn from the Nigerian government.
Jacobs said:
“Here is a man, who in 2012, collected over N8bn for the contract for airing of the Under-17 World Cup organised by FIFA. Nigeria was not part of the contract agreement with FIFA, yet, this applicant collected the huge sum from the treasury of this country.
“Again, let me say here that Nigeria is bleeding and it is the duty of everybody, including judges in court, to ensure that we fight and put an end to corrupt tendencies in this country.
Ozekhome also told the court that his client was scheduled to travel abroad for medical attention when he received a call, inviting him to the EFCC office in Abuja and that without hesitation, Dokpesi honoured the invitation as a law-abiding citizen.
The senior advocate added that Dokpesi’s son would wed on December 17 and 19 and that as a father, he (Dokpesi) had sent invites to highly-placed Nigerians and as such, he would be around at all times to stand trial.
Jacobs said Dokpesi might jump bail due to the possibility of being jailed for seven years upon conviction.
But after the hearing on Thursday, the judge said he needed time to study the arguments for and against the bail application before he could deliver his ruling.
He then fixed Monday for the ruling and ordered that Dokpesi be returned to the EFCC custody.
