Dokpesi remanded in Kuje Prison

Founder of DAAR Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi on Monday arrived Kuje Prison in Abuja pending when he perfects his bail conditions.

A source from Kuje prison said Dokpesi, arrived the prison at about 4.55 pm and was immediately taken to the Prison Chief’s office, The Nation reports.

The source said: “We have received Dokpesi in Kuje prison and perfected his records before allocating him a cell.

“Upon sighting Dokpesi, most of the inmates, who were abreast of the ongoing anti-corruption trials, were anxious to see him.

“But we decided to keep him in the office of the Officer-In-Charge to avoid being hurt by some inmates. Warders succeeded in shielding him from inmates.”

The source described Dokpesi as “certainly moody”.

Dokpesi was yesterday ordered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja to be remanded in Kuje prison and he should submit his international passport to the court pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.

Kolawole, during his ruling, had granted Dokpesi bail in the sum of N200m with two sureties in like sum.

The Judge said: “One of the sureties must be a public servant, either serving or retired, and not below the rank of director, while the second surety must be an entrepreneur who must submit evidence of tax payment in the last three years.

”The sureties must tender title deeds of landed properties in any part of Nigeria, the value of which must not be below N200milion.”

Kolawole added that one of the sureties must be a serving or retired civil servant of the rank of a director in either the federal or state civil service and if retired, the surety must present before the court a retirement letter showing the organisation where he or she had served.

The Judge further ruled that the second surety must be a private entrepreneur with evidence of three years tax clearance certificate and a verifiable landed property worth N200 million and must sign an undertaking of forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government, should Dokpesi jump bail.

Dokpesi alongside his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Limited had pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.