Adeleke arraigned for forgery, gets N2m bail, permission for US trip

The police on Tuesday arraigned Senator Ademola Adeleke before a Magistrate’s Court in Mpape, Abuja, on charges of forgery.

Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, was accused in the fresh five counts of forging academic qualification documents including a letter of attestation and the West African School Certificate from Muslim Grammar School, Ede, Osun State.

The police alleged that the senator submitted the forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the PDP’s candidate in the 2017 Osun West Senatorial District election and 2018 governorship election in Osun State.

He pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him before the magistrate, Muhammed Suberu, who granted him bail in the sum of N2m with one surety.

The magistrate ruled that the surety must be a resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

Already, the police are prosecuting him on amended seven counts of examination malpractices before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Federal High Court had on Friday granted him permission to travel to the United States of America.

Earlier, Adeleke’s lawyer, Adetosoye Adebiyi had, while making an oral application for bail, tendered two orders made on May 3 and 6 this year by the Federal High Court, Abuja and Osun High Court, Ikirun, granting permission to the defendant to travel on health grounds.

Adebiyi said his client had booked his flight to the United States and was expected to board by 7pm on Tuesday.

The prosecuting counsel, Simon Lough, had in a counter-argument, contended that although the decision to grant or deny bail to a defendant was at the court’s discretion, such discretion was only exercised in favour of a defendant who provided sufficient material facts.