The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told a Federal High Court
in Abuja on Thursday that its operatives found cash sum of $1m in the
bedroom of an Abuja mansion of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air
Marshal Alex Badeh (retd).
The anti-graft agency alleged that the ex-CDS purchased the house in
which the money was found with dollar equivalent of N1.1bn said to have
been fraudulently removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force in
2013.
It said although, Badeh had denied ownership of the property, his
belongings, including photographs, were found in it during a search by
the operatives of the commission.
This was part of the submission of
EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) while opposing the bail
application filed by Badeh, who is currently on remand in Kuje prison
with respect to his ongoing trial for alleged diversion of about N3.97bn
belonging to the Nigerian Air Force.
Justice Okon Abang had on March 7 ordered that Badeh be remanded in
prison shortly after the EFCC arraigned the former military chief and a
company, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on 10 counts of money laundering.
The judge had fixed Thursday for the hearing of the bail application.
Prison authorities did not produce the former Chief of Defence Staff
in court on Thursday, but the judge later ruled that his presence could
be dispensed with under section 266 of the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act since the proceedings were for the hearing of an
interlocutory application.
Jacobs while opposing the bail application on Thursday urged the
trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, not grant bail to Badeh, who was said
to have perpetrated the alleged fraud while he was the Chief of Air
Staff.
Thursday, 10 March 2016
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