Shortly after he was granted bail under whathas been described as"stringent conditions", the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, boasted that no court in Nigeria could convict him on any of the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The statement, as reported in the press under variations of the headline, "No court can try me" shocked many, although it was no more than what his lawyers had told the court in their submission: "No court has jurisdiction to try orsubject him to jurisdiction in all matters which are related to, connected with, or arose from anyexercise of his official functions."
Now, friends and relations who have been visiting the Asokoro home of the former speaker since his bail came through are beginning to understand the nature of that claim, and the reason it was made. A constantly buoyant Mr Bankole has been reassuring them not so much of his innocence, but of his ability to beatthe rather hastily-prepared case of breachof trust and theft filed against him by the EFCC.
A recent visitor to the house, a former Reps member who prefers not to be named, said,"Bankole was a revelation. I think he had a strategy from day one and no one knew it." NEXT learnt that although the former speaker is defended by half a dozen lawyers, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria, his optimism is driven by less obvious factors. "The young man set up a system whereby he was never directly involved in the signing of cheques," said our source, who spent over an hour discussing the case with the former speaker.
Mr Bankole reportedly disclosed that he never signed cheques for money to be used for official purposes during his tenure, but left thatin the hands of aides in his office who are staffof the National Assembly.
Our source said Mr Bankole told him that there was no way anyone could find the evidence to nail him on those 17 charges.
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