Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has arrived at the Kaduna State High court, which is expected to hear his bail application in a 9- count charge filed against him by the Independent Corrupt Practises and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

El-Rufai was arraigned on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office, filed by the ICPC.

Journalists were, however, barred from entering the courtroom during proceedings.

Sources at the court said the initial charges involved both El-Rufai and one Amadu Sule, but the latter was removed from the amended charge.

The development was confirmed by defence counsel, Ubong Akpan (SAN), who spoke with journalists after the session.

Akpan said the prosecution amended the charges and dropped Sule, leaving El-Rufai as the sole defendant.

He added that the hearing could not proceed because the defence was served with the amended charges in court during the sitting.

“The charges are entirely new to us. They were given to us this morning while we were already in court. That is why the matter could not proceed.

“We will analyse the charges and make our position known. For now, there is nothing we can do until we have fully reviewed them,” he said.

The presiding judge, Darius Khobo, had adjourned the matter to April 14 for the hearing of El-Rufai’s bail application.

Details of the amended charge show that the ICPC accused El-Rufai of multiple infractions during his tenure as governor.

The nine counts include allegations of inducing the Kaduna State Government to release about N11 billion to an unregistered entity for a light rail project that was never executed.

The commission also alleged that the former governor approved and received about N289.8 million as severance allowance, far above the legally entitled amount of about N20 million, thereby conferring a corrupt advantage on himself.

In another count, El-Rufai was accused of mismanaging over $1.08 million, part of a World Bank loan to the state, in violation of the loan agreement.

The ICPC further alleged that he conspired with an associate, said to be at large, to offer monetary inducement to federal investigators in order to compromise an ongoing probe involving a private firm.

Other charges include the alleged unlawful award of a N4.6 billion CCTV contract in Kaduna metropolis in disregard of procurement laws, as well as conferring undue advantage on an associate through the same contract.

El-Rufai has denied all the allegations. The case is expected to continue with the hearing of his bail application.

He would later be moved to Federal High Court for separate charges, still filed by ICPC. (Daily Trust)

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