A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 17, to hear another application by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole seeking to quash the 16-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mr Bankole's counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, told the court yesterday that there is also an application seeking to disqualify Festus Keyamo from prosecuting the matter.

He is raising questions as to who made Festus Keyamo a prosecutor to prosecute him. The former speaker said: "The last AGF was Mohammed Adoke SAN, who vacated officially on the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council on 28th May, 2011. The AGF is the only officer that the Constitution empowered to issue fiat to private legal practitioner to institute or continue criminal proceedings in the high court." According to him, the charges were filed on June 7th, 2011 when no AGF was in office, saying that the office of speaker of the House of Representatives which he occupied between the years 2007 and 2011 was not cognizable for the purpose of criminal responsibility or liability within the scope and intendment of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

Mr Bankole also said the proof of evidence did not connect him with the items allegedly procured in contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

Mr Bankole who is facing trial for alleged inflation of contracts when he was the Speaker of the House of Representatives is praying the court presided over by Donatus Okorowo to quash the charges slammed against him by the EFCC.

The trial Judge consolidated the application for quash of charges against Mr Bankole and the application seeking to disqualify Mr Keyamo from prosecuting the matter.

The former speaker is charged with 33-count at different courts. He was charged with 16-count charge before Mr Okorowo and another 17-count charge awaits him before an Abuja High Court. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Soon after he was granted bail by Mr Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Mr Bankole was immediately re-arrested by EFCC operatives and re-arraigned at the Apo Division of the Abuja High Court where he was arraigned alongside his former deputy, Usaman Nafada on another 17-count charge bordering on illegally obtaining loans amounting to about N40 billion on behalf of the House of Reps. They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In the new charges before presiding Judge Sulieman Belgore, Messrs Bankole and Nafada were accused of committing criminal breach of trust when they conspired between themselves to approve the allowances and running cost of members of the House of Representatives in violation of the approved Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the extant Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009.

They were also accused of using the House of Representatives accounts with the United Bank for Africa and the First Bank to obtain loans in a dishonest manner.

In other count charges, both men were said to have dishonestly misappropriated the N40 billion loans obtained on behalf of the House.

Mr Okorowo of the Federal High Court had earlier granted bail to Mr Bankole to the tune of N5 million with one surety who must be an owner of a landed property worth the bail sum within the jurisdiction of the court.

Mr Belgore of the FCT High Court also granted the two former leaders of the House of Representatives bail in the sum of N50 million with a surety each in like sum, and that their travel documents should remain in the custody of the EFCC.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5735761-147/story.csp