The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to a former member of the Senate representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani.
Justice Inyang Ekwo granted Senator Sani bail on Monday in Abuja during his arraignment on two counts of bribery and advance fee fraud.
The charges were preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Senator Sani, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges while his counsel, A. Ibrahim, asked the court to grant his client bail.
But the lead counsel to the EFCC, Abbah Muhammed, said he was just served the bail application notice a while ago.
After listening to the statements of both lawyers, Justice Ekwo stepped down the hearing of the bail application to enable the prosecutor study it.
Upon resumption of the proceedings, Ibrahim argued that having pleaded not guilty and with investigations concluded according to the EFCC, bail was his client’s fundamental human right.
He also outlined other reasons why Senator Sani should be granted bail, saying the defendant has no record of jumping bail. The defense counsel also stressed that his client was presumed innocent and needed to attend to his businesses and family while still appearing before the court.