Alleged N150m Bribe: Platform Capital CEO, Akintoye Akindele Remanded In Kuje Prison

 

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Lagos businessman and founder of Platform Capital, Akintoye Akindele, was on Tuesday remanded in Kuje prison by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

Akindele who was put on trial by the Inspector General of Police IGP on charges of attempting to bribe Police with N150 million is to remain in the prison till the period he is able to perfect the bail conditions slammed on him by the Court.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, the Inspector General of Police through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Mr Simon Lough had docked Akindele on one count criminal charge.

Among others, Akindele who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Duport Midstream Company was alleged to have offered police a bribe of N150 million to pervert the course of investigation in a petition against him.

The business man was said in the charge to have dropped N50 million as part of the alleged bribe to the IGP’s team of investigators led by a Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Ezekiel Sini.

According to the charge, the bribe was offered to allow police permit him to escape abroad and to write a favourable report for him after the investigation.

Akindele had been apprehended and was undergoing interrogation in respect of a petition submitted to the Police Chief by Summit Oil International Limited.

In the instant petition, the Summit Oil alleged that it was swindled of $5, 636, 397 and another N73, 543, 764.

However, when the charge was read to him, he pleaded not guilty.

Police lawyer subsequently asked for an adjournment to enable him assemble his witnesses to establish the case against the accused person.

However,counsel to the accused, Mr Henry Eni-Otu pleaded with Justice Hamza Muazu to admit his client to bail claiming that Akindele had been in the police custody for over three weeks.

In a brief ruling, Justice Muazu granted him bail in the sun of N500 million and two sureties in the like sum.

The sureties, among others, must have properties in Abuja with title documents.

Besides, Akindele was ordered to deposit his international traveling passport with the Registrar of the Court.