- The EFCC accused the former minister of receiving benefits from contractors linked to the agency
- The judge directed that the defendant must present a surety not below the rank of a director and who owns verifiable property
- The court subsequently fixed January 28 and 29 for the continuation of trial proceedings
The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwarimpa has approved bail for former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, in an ongoing corruption trial initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Ngige is facing an eight-count charge related to alleged abuse of office and the acceptance of gifts valued at about ₦2.2 billion during his time overseeing the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.
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The EFCC accused the former minister of receiving benefits from contractors linked to the agency between 2015 and 2023 while serving as supervising minister.
In her ruling on Thursday, Justice Mariam Hassan ruled that Ngige should be released under the same conditions earlier attached to his administrative bail by the anti-graft agency.
The judge directed that the defendant must present a surety not below the rank of a director and who owns verifiable property within the court’s jurisdiction.
Justice Hassan also ordered that due to Ngige’s claim that his international passport was missing, the surety must deposit his own passport with the court until the former minister replaces his travel document.
The court subsequently fixed January 28 and 29 for the continuation of trial proceedings.
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