Media mogul Raymond Dokpesi, the chairman of African Independent Television (AIT) who is in the middle of the massive arms scandal concerning former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, is spending Monday night in Kuje prison because he is unable to meet the conditions of his bail.
Speaking with a SaharaReporters correspondent, a lawyer representing Mr. Dokpesi confirmed that the fallen media owner was remanded to Kuje prison in Abuja having failed to satisfy the N400 million or surety requirement for bail.
Earlier, presiding judge Gabriel Kolawole established bail conditions requiring two guarantors, one of whom must be a current or former public servant of Director rank or higher, and the second of whom mist be an entrepreneur in possession of Nigerian tax payments for the past three consecutive years. Both were required to provide “title deeds of landed properties in any part of Nigeria, the value of which must not be below N200 million.”
Mr. Dokpesi’s lawyer said that the difficulty of meeting these strict bail conditions forced Mr. Dokpesi to spend the night in Kuje prison, a facility that is like the jails average Nigerians are often sent to.
Mr. Dokpesi is facing six counts of money laundering for his involvement with Mr. Dasuki, who is alleged to have illegally provided money meant for military arms purchases to Mr. Dokpesi to produce video documentaries promoting the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
