Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc (owners of African Independence Television, Raypower and Faaji FM) was on Thursday, asked to remain remanded behind bars. He could not secure his freedom at the resumed hearing of a case of N2.1 billion arms fund he allegedly received from the office of the National Security Adviser for publicity.
Apart from the first set of fund he is being probed for, another N8.7 billion probe has been added to the allegation.
The application for his bail, moved by his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), was turned down by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Ozekhoma had prayed the court to grant the accused bail on self-recognition arguing the applicant had not contributed to the insurgency by his act and that the only reason he is held in custody is because of mere speculation of future investigation which the court cannot act on.
He further argued that the applicant is billed to travel abroad for medicals as can be proven in exhibits A3, A4 and A5 tendered in his affidavit adding that the alleged offence is bailable and that the accused would not jump bail because he had families and dependants.
He also told the court that releasing Dokpesi on bail would enable him to attend the wedding of his son already scheduled for 17th and 18th December.
But counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, however argued that the offence was very serious.
“The nature of the offence is corruption and a serious one,” he stated, explaining that the exhibits tendered by the defence which includes a doctor’s appointment letter, hotel reservation and flight tickets, were arranged while the defendant was already in custody.
“The accused, he said, “initially denied having any transaction with the office of the NSA until he was confronted with the evidence.
“Therefore, such person cannot be granted bail as this is coming when the country is trying to change its corruption rating in the international community.”
Justice Kolawole after listening to the submissions of both counsel, adjourned till Monday, 14th December 2015 for ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused be remanded in EFCC custody.
Dokpesi was arraigned alongside his firm, DAAR Investment and Holdings Limited, owners of African Independent Television, AIT and Raypower FM, over the funds which were allegedly released to the accused persons between October, 2014 and 19th March 2015.
The funds were allegedly transferred from an account in the office of the NSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to a First Bank of Nigeria Plc account owned by DAAR Investment and Holding Company Limited.
One of the counts reads: “That you Dr. Raymond Dokpesi and Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited between October 2014 and March 19, 2015 in Abuja, conducted procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt act, to wit: receipt of payment into the account of Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited with First Bank of Nigeria Plc of public funds in the sum of N2,120,000,000 from the account of the office of National Security Adviser (NSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria for the funding of media activities for the 2015 presidential election campaign for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (6) & (7) of the same Act.”
The offence is a breach of Section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (6) and (7) of the same Act, as well as under Section 17 (b) of the EFCC Act, 2004.
This is the second time Dokpesi, who pleaded not guilty to all the counts, has failed to secure his bail.
Meanwhile it has been learnt that the authorities have begun investigating Dokpesi over another fund totalling more than N8.7 billion from the federal government on 27, January 2012 for the broadcast right of Nigeria hosting of the under-17.
Rotimi Jacobs said this while opposing the motion on bail application for Dokpesi by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
Jacobs told the court that the government was investigating Dokpesi over the receipt of the N8.7 billion from government coffers by Dokpesi because there was no evidence showing that he was a party to the broadcast agreement over which the DAAR Communications chief collected the fund.
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