The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, adjourned the hearing on the application for bail variation of James Nolan, a Briton, until November 27.
Justice Okon Abang, who made this known, said the development was to allow Nolan’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, study the counter-affidavit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, in opposition to the Briton’s plea.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Abang had, on Wednesday, fixed the hearing of the application for variation of Nolan’s bail conditions to Friday.
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Justice Abang had, on November 7, admitted Nolan to a bail in the sum of N500 million.
The judge, who granted the bail in an application filed by Nolan, ordered that the applicant must produce a surety in like sum, who must be a Nigerian and a serving senator not standing any criminal trial in any court in Nigeria.
Besides, he held that the proposed surety must submit a three years tax clearance certificate and sign an undertaking to always be present in court with the defendant throughout the duration of the trial.
“The senator must have a landed property fully developed in Maitama District of Abuja and fully certified by the FCDA.
”The surety must submit two passport photographs,” Abang had ruled.
Likewise, the court ordered the defendant to surrender all his international passports, even as it mandated the Nigerian Immigration Service to confirm how many passports that were issued to him within the past 20 years.
Erokoro had, on Wednesday, reminded the court about the application for bail variation before it.
He prayed the court to favourably grant the request to allow the defendant counsel have adequate time and facility for their defence.
NAN reports that EFCC had, on October 21, arraigned Nolan and Adam Quinn (at large), both British nationals, over their alleged complicity in the 9.6 billion dollars judgment against Nigeria.
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Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), an Irish engineering company, had secured the award against Nigeria following the non-execution of a 20-year gas and supply processing agreement (GSPA) the company had with the federal government.
The arraignment of the two British nationals is coming weeks after two P&ID directors were convicted over the deal.
The defendants, both directors of Goidel Resources Limited, a Designated Non-Financial Institution and ICIL Limited, were arraigned on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering.(NAN)