By Teddy Nwanunobi
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court, on Wednesday, granted N100 million bail to Danladi Umar, the former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar.
Presided over by Justice Peter Kekemeke, the court ruled that Umar must produce one surety in like sum with proof of property ownership in Abuja.
Umar, who is facing charges of abuse of office, was granted the bail after the application was moved by his counsel, Sunday Edward.
The court, however, ordered that the former CCT Chairman be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre until he fulfils the bail conditions.
In his ruling, Kekemeke held that the prosecution failed to establish that Umar would interfere with witnesses, despite arguing that the witnesses were members of staff of the CCT during his tenure as chairman.
Umar pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Counsel to Umar informed the court that a bail application had been filed on behalf of the defendant and urged the court to grant the application.
Accoeding to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Umar allegedly used his wife’s bank account in 2021 to receive N5.5 million from a contractor engaged to paint the headquarters of the CCT in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that on January 25, 2024, Umar, again, used his wife’s bank account to receive N6 million from a contractor responsible for the digitisation of the tribunal’s records.
“That you, Danladi Yakubu Umar, while serving as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Tenders Board, on or about the 5th day of October, 2021, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did confer upon yourself a corrupt and unfair advantage by causing the sum of N5,500,000.00 (Five Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) to be paid to your wife, Zulaihatu Danladi Umar, through her Keystone Bank Account No. 6031167105 by Kurchmives International Limited, a sub-contractor under the contract awarded by the Code of Conduct Tribunal to Momanaf Global Ventures Limited for Internal and External painting of the headquarters of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and punishable under the same section,” one of the count reads.
Umar pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Daily NewsCraft reports that Umar, a former justice, led a three-member judicial panel to probe Bola Tinubu (now President Bola Tinubu) in a high-stakes 2011 trial for asset declaration fraud. But he acquitted Tinubu of any wrongdoing, admitting he had been pressured by the higher-ups to convict him.
In July 2024, Tinubu appointed Mainasara Umar Kogo as Chairman of the CCT to replace Umar. In November 2024, the House of Representatives and Senate asked the President to remove Umar as CCT Chairman.
