A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to a former Director of Legal Services at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Grace Taiga, at N30 million.
Taiga is charged with accepting bribe on the controversial gas supply contract that Nigeria signed with an Irish firm, Process and Industrial Development Company (P&ID), in 2008.
She was re-arraigned on October 7 on a seven-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In a ruling yesterday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu rejected EFCC’S objection to the defendant’s bail application.
Justice Egwuatu ordered Taiga to produce two sureties, who must be residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The judge said one of the sureties must own a property within the FCT and should deposit the property’s titled documents with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar.
Both sureties, he said, must produce evidence of tax clearance.
Justice Egwuatu also ordered Taiga to deposit her international passport with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar and must obtain the court’s permission before travelling abroad.
The judge adjourned till January 17 for trial.
Taiga was earlier arraigned on September 20, 2019, before the High Court of the FCT on a similar charge.
The dispute between Nigeria and P&ID over the controversial gas supply agreement led to the issuance of about $9 billion cost against the country by an arbitration panel that sat in London.
Nigeria is currently challenging the judgment, which has now risen above $10 billion, in a British court.
