The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on Friday, arraigned a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, on three fresh charges of illegal possession of firearms and money laundering.
Suswam, who was produced from the custody of the Department of State Services, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N500m.
The case, filed on June 26, 2018, was the third criminal matter instituted against Suswam since he left office as Benue State governor in 2015.
One of the two other criminal cases involving the diversion of over N3bn of the state’s fund was instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The other, which also involves corruption allegations, was instituted by the AGF’s office.
In the latest case, he was accused in two of the three counts of illegally concealing weapons in his Mercedes Benz 550 4Matic car with registration number BWR 135 AH on February 24, 2017.
The car was said to be parked at Dunes Investment and Properties Ltd., located at 44 Aguiyi lronsi Way, Maitama, Abuja.
The prosecution alleged that the offence violated Section 3 of the Firearms Act Cap F28, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under section 27(1)(a)(1) of the same Act.
He was also accused in one of the three counts of “converting 25 designer wristwatches worth several millions of naira, being properties you derived directly from corruption and concealed in your Mercedes Benz 550 4Matic with registration number BWR 135 AH.”
The offence was said to be contrary to Section 15(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
After the defendant pleaded not guilty to the three counts, the prosecuting counsel, Kayode Alilu, of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
He also urged the court to order the remand of the former governor in prison pending the hearing and determination of the charge against him.
But Suswam’s lawyer, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), informed the judge that there was a pending bail application filed on behalf of the former governor.
He said the bail application was due for hearing.
The judge, Justice Babatunde Quadri, granted him permission to move the application.
Moving the application, Erokoro urged the judge to grant his client bail, saying the defendant had already been granted bail in the two other cases instituted against him.
The lawyer said his client had a life-threatening health condition, which he said required regular medical attention.
He noted that all the facts in the affidavit in support of the application for bail were not challenged by the prosecution.
He said Suswam, who is a lawyer, a two-term governor of Benue State and had served as a member of the House of Representatives for eight years, would not jump bail.
Although the prosecuting counsel, Alilu, who said he intended to call four prosecution witnesses, did not oppose Suswam’s bail application, he urged the court to grant bail to the defendant by imposing conditions that would make him to attend to his trial.
Ruling, Justice Quadri granted bail to Suswam in the sum of N500m with one surety.
The judge ruled that the surety must be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory and should also swear to an affidavit of means.
He ordered that the surety’s residential address must be verified by officials of the court.
As directed by the judge, the surety must also submit one passport photograph to the court.
The court adjourned the case till October 24 and 25.
