DETAINED formergovernor of OyoState, Chief Ade-bayo Alao-Akala, on Thursday, temporarily regained his freedom as an Ibadan High Court trying him for fraud and other offences released him on bail pending the commencement of his trial.Also released on bail by the trial judge, Justice Moshood Abass, were Chief Alao-Akala's former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola and a contractor, Mr Olu-femi Ademola Babalola.Justice Abass, in his ruling on the bail applications of the three accused persons, granted bail to Chief Alao-Akala in the sum of N500 million with two sureties.The two sureties must produce evidence of having landed property at the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Ibadan, and the sureties must depose to affidavits of means.Senator Agboola was also granted bail in the sum of N300 million and one surety. The surety must produce evidence of having a landed property at GRA, Ibadan and also depose to an affidavit in respect of the said land.The third accused person, Mr Babalola was released on bail in the sum of N300 million and two sureties who must produce evidence of having landed property at the GRA, Ibadan.The sureties, according to the judge, must also depose to affidavits of means.Justice Abass released the accused persons on bail in his ruling in which he held that all the offences preferred against them were bailable.According to him, any person charged to court, according to section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Act was liable to bail unless the court thought otherwise.He stressed that any person charged with any offence not punishable with death could be granted bail.'In the instance case, there is no dispute that they are not being tried for an offence punishable with death. Under section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Act, they are entitled to bail unless the court thinks otherwise,' the judge declared.Meanwhile,RESPITE seems far for the embattled former governors of Oyo and Ogun States, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, respectively, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to file fresh charges of money laundering against them.It was gathered that the fresh charges would complete the second leg of their simultaneous double trials for alleged stealing of public funds while in office and money laundering.A source told the Nigerian Tribune that the fresh charges would contain the outstanding sums of the duo's alleged loot, which were not captured in the charges filed against them at their respective state high courts for alleged stealing of public funds.In the charge against Alao-Akala and two others at the state high court, the sum credited to them as allegedly stolen from public purse was N11 billion.It was learnt that the fresh charge of money laundering contained the outstanding of N14 billion, making up the N25 billion put against his name as his alleged loot.A source in the commission disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune that Alao-Akala's fresh charge of money laundering was ready and would be filed at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, any moment from now.The alleged stealing charge against Daniel at the state high court had a little over N6 billion against his name, with a commission source revealing that the fresh charge being prepared against him would contain the rest of the alleged N58 billion loot against his name at the beginning of investigation into the alleged corruption case against him.The detained former governors of Nasarawa and Gombe States, Aliyu Akwe-Doma and Danjuma Goje are also said to have been primed for the same double trials.
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