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Bashir Sa’idu, former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who is standing trial over $45 million money laundering, was on Tuesday remanded in prison.
Justice Isa Aliyu of the Kaduna State High Court gave the order on Tuesday at the arraignment of Sa’idu.
Sa’idu, who was also a former Commissioner for Finance, is currently facing a 10-count bordering on money laundering, embezzlement, and stealing.
According to the charges, the former Commissioner sold $45 million in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government, equivalent to N18.4 billion, at the significantly undervalued rate of N410 per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of N498 per dollar, with criminal intent, resulting in a N3.9 million loss to the government.
The prosecution also alleged that the N3.9 million discrepancy was laundered by Sa’idu, in violation of Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In addition to the charges, he is also facing prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over similar charges at another State High Court.
The alleged offence was committed in 2022 during Sa’idu’s tenure as Commissioner of Finance under El-Rufai’s administration.
Sa’idu pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him on Tuesday.
Counsel for the defendant, Mr. M.I. Abubakar, informed the court about a pending bail application and urged it to grant Sa’idu bail, saying he has spent 21 days in custody since his arrest on January 2, 2025.
Raising an objection to the bail application, the prosecution counsel, Prof. Nasiru Aliyu (SAN) argued that the law stipulates a seven-day period for the prosecution to file its response to the application.
After a 40-minute recess, Justice Aliyu ruled that the prosecution be granted sufficient time as stipulated by law to respond to the bail application.
El-Rufai’s administration has been under public scrutiny since the Kaduna State House of Assembly claimed that about N432 billion was stolen by his eight-year administration, leaving the state in huge debts.
In response to the allegation, El-Rufai filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the House of Assembly on June 26, 2024.
In the suit, he requested that the court to nullify the Assembly probe report, arguing that he was denied a fair hearing regarding the allegations made against him and his administration by the committee.
The court adjourned Sa’idu’s bail application hearing to Thursday, January 23, 2025.
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