The Kaduna State High Court has denied bail to Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, the former Chief of Staff to Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, in a money laundering case filed against him.
The Court had previously adjourned the ruling on Sa’idu’s bail application to Thursday, January 16, 2025. However, when the case came up today, the former Chief of Staff was denied bail.
In its ruling, the Court refused the bail application primarily on the grounds that a formal charge had already been filed at Kaduna State High Court II against Sa’idu. It directed the Applicant to apply for bail in the court where the charge is pending.
The Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution, Samson Irimiya, Esq., who represented the state government, informed journalists that the arraignment of the former Chief of Staff is scheduled for January 21, 2025, before Hon. Justice Isa Aliyu.
According to Irimiya, “The ruling on the bail application was delivered, refusing the application primarily on the grounds that since a formal charge has been filed, it is appropriate for the Applicant to seek bail in the court where the charge is pending.”
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Counsel for Sa’idu, Oladipo Tolani, SAN, also confirmed that the Court directed them to submit the bail application to the court handling the formal charges.
Sa’idu, who is also a former Commissioner of Finance, was initially arraigned at the State High Court on charges of money laundering.
The prosecution alleges that the former Chief of Staff sold $45 million in hard currency belonging to the Kaduna State Government, equivalent to ₦18.4 billion at the undervalued rate of ₦410 per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of ₦498 per dollar. This act allegedly resulted in a ₦3.9 billion loss to the government in 2022.
Furthermore, the prosecution claims that the ₦3.9 billion discrepancy was laundered by Sa’idu in violation of Section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
