A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has ordered that the former Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, further be remanded at Kuje prison pending ruling on his bail on December 18.
Ngige was arraigned last Friday by the EFCC on an 8-count charge of graft.
Justice Maryam Hassan gave the order on Monday after taking arguments for and against the bail application of the former governor of Anambra state.
Ngige’s lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), had prayed the court to admit the former Minister to bail mainly on health ground.
He told the court that the Ngige would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses if admitted to bail.
Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sylvanus Tahir, (SAN), objected to the bail request, submitting that Ngige is a flight risk.
He informed the court that Ngige was granted administrative bail, and allowed to travel abroad for medical care but never reported back to the Commission.
Tahir said that it was when Ngige was re-arrested that he came up with a purported claims that he lost his passport
The EFCC stated that the international passport released to Ngige to facilitate the abroad trip was never returned till today.
Insisting that the claims of passport loss was an afterthought and should not be believed by the Court, Tahir prayed the court to dismiss the bail request for being frivolous and incompetent.
Justice Hassan fixed December 18 to deliver ruling on the bail request.
