Court grants Cubana Chief Priest N10m bail on Naira abuse charge
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Federal High Court in Lagos State has granted the businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, N10 million bail in a Naira abuse charge.
Justice Kehinde Ogundare, on Wednesday, granted bail to Cubana with two sureties in like sum.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the businessman and socialite before Ogundare for allegedly spraying and tampering with Naira notes at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank (CBN) Act of 2007.
Earlier, the defendant, Cubana Chief Priest, pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge brought against him by the EFCC.
The counsel to the defendant, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, told the court that filed a bail application on behalf of his client and urged the court to admit him to bail on very liberal terms.
Ojukwu said his client was very sick and requested that the defendant be handed to him as a member of the inner bar pending the perfection of the bail conditions.
Ogundare admitted Cubana Chief Priest to bail on terms, including an N10 million bail bond and handed the defendant to his counsel for 14 days pending the perfection of the bail conditions, failing which the defendant would be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Services Centre.
In addition, Ojukwu had earlier introduced a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter.
Ogundare adjourned to May 2, 2024, for the hearing of the motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.
The EFFC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), filed a charge on April 4, 2024, and alleged that Okechukwu Pascal on February 13, 2024, while dancing at a social event at Eko Hotels, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN by spraying same for two hours.
Oyedepo said Okechukwu’s spraying of the Naira notes constituted an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.
The EFCC had prosecuted the cross-dresser and internet personality, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, on similar charges and on April 5 secured a conviction which sentenced him to six-month imprisonment
