The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Thursday granted bail to socialite and businessman, John Abebe, who is facing forgery charges. Abeb
The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Thursday granted bail to socialite and businessman, John Abebe, who is facing forgery charges. Abebe, who is a younger brother of the late former First Lady, Stella Obasanjo, is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Following an application by his lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), who served as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice during ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, Abebe was admitted to bail by Justice Mojisola Dada.
Agabi, who appeared in court on Thursday alongside three other Senior Advocates of Nigeria, had pleaded with the judge to grant Abebe bail on liberal terms. The former AGF told the court that the businessman had no record of crime, adding that a man of his calibre would not jump bail After hearing the lawyer out, Justice Dada granted Abebe bail with a surety, who must be gainfully employed and own a landed property in a choice area in Lagos. The judge said Abebe must deposit his passport in the custody of the court pending the conclusion of the case.
After the court proceedings on Thursday, John, who had been in the prison custody since July 26, 2018, joined his family members. The EFCC, in the charges, claimed that Abebe “knowingly forged” a November 30, 1995 letter written by BP Exploration Nigeria Limited to Inducon (Nigeria) Ltd. The anti-graft agency claimed that the businessman illegally inserted into page 2 of the said letter “the following words: Also note that the ‘Buy-Out Option’ only applies to the pre-production stage of the NPIA. The $4m buy-out is thus irrelevant from the production of oil in any of our fields.”
