A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded former Chief of Defence Staff in Nigeria, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, in Kuje Prison after pleading not guilty to an 11 counts of money laundering.
At Monday’s proceeding Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had urged the court to remand the former Chief of Defence Staff, a request that the court granted.
Though Badeh’s counsel, in a bid to apply for bail, had drawn the attention of the court to a motion for bail filed by his client on March 2, the presiding judge, Justice Obong Abang, held that the motion was not competent, as the court could only exercise jurisdiction over an accused person when he is arraigned.
Abang thus struck out the bail application for lack of merit, but obliged the request of the accused person’s lawyer to hear the bail application as soon as possible.
Also, following the declaration of the Director of Public Prosecution that he would not be able to commence with the trial, the trial judge adjourned till 19th March to hear the bail application.
Badeh is being accused diverting funds belonging to the Nigeria Air Force to purchase choice property in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
EFCC also accused Badeh of illegally using N6m to renovate his son’s house, which he purchased for N260m in Abuja between January and December 2013.
He is also accused of using N876m belonging to the Nigerian Air Force to build a shopping mall in Abuja.
On March 4, a Federal High Court in Abuja turned down a fundamental rights enforcement application filed by Air Chief Marshal Badeh.
In his application, Bade had sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights to liberty pending when EFCC would be ready to charge him.
But Justice James Tsoho had said that there was a subsisting withholding charge order by a Magistrate Court in Lagos, which gave the Anti-graft agency the right to detain him.