A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has granted N500,000 bail to former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye, who was convicted on charges of contract splitting. Trial judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia granted the convict bail pending the hearing and determination of his appeal at the Court of Appeal, Lagos. Ex-NIMASA DG, Omatseye Ruling on the bail application by Omatseye, pending appeal, Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia said: “I have looked at the processes filed by appellant but I have a discretion which must be exercised judicially. “In the applicants affidavit, he deposed to the fact that his child suffers from a severe medical condition, which is an uncontrollable epileptic seizure which has put the family under serious strain. I will admit the appellant to bail on the single ground of my being a mother. “Even a mad woman will come after you if you toil with her child. The applicant is hereby admitted to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties each in like sum. One of the sureties must be a level 16 officer in the civil service who must deposit his international passport with the court’s registry,” she held. Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia had on May 20, sentenced Omatseye to a prison term of five years for awarding contracts above threshold while in office. The judge had found Omatseye guilty of 24 out of the 27 counts preferred against him. The court, discharged and acquitted him in 3 out of the 27 counts bordering on bid rigging. Ajumogobia found Omatseye guilty of the offence of awarding contracts above stipulated threshold, and accordingly convicted him on counts 1 to 20,24,25,26, and 27. She, however, discharged and acquitted him on counts 21, 22 and 23 of the charge. In challenging the verdict, Omatseye had prayed the court to grant him bail pending the determination of his appeal lodged at the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos. According to him, given the number of years it takes to prosecute appeals, it is likely that he could have finished serving the prison term by the time the appeal is determined. Besides, Omatseye had said he is a father of four children, one of whom is very ill and suffers from “severe medical conditions of epilepsy.” He had told the court that his wife stays full time in London with the sick child, to enable him get proper medical attention. Omatseye had averred that he would not run away if granted bail.
Vanguard
