A Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Thursday granted bail to the former State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau.
Shekarau was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside two others; a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali and Mansur Ahmed before Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar.
They were arraigned on 6 counts of conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N950m.
Counsel to the EFCC, Johnson Ojoghame, told the court that the defendants had, between March 26 and 27, 2015 in Kano, conspired between themselves and received various sums of money without going through financial institutions.
He told the court that the money was issued out to the defendants by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former petroleum minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b)of the same Act and Section 15(1) of money laundering Act.
The trio had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Their counsel, Ologunolisa Sam (SAN) made a written bail application in respect of the defendants under Section 163 of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The judge granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100m each with two reliable sureties in like sum.
She said that the first surety should have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court while the second surety should not be below the rank of a director.
The judge ordered the defendants to surrender their International passport and two recent passport size photographs to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
The case has been adjourned until June 26, for trial.
Meanwhile, police operatives had to release teargas and fire warning shots into the air to ward off the crowd of supporters of the three defendants that thronged the court premises.
