The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, granted an administrative bail to a former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, who was arrested and detained over an alleged fraud of N6b in the Mambilla Power Project.
It was gathered that Agunloye was released to his lawyer, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), at about 3:30 pm on Wednesday. He was released on self-recognizance.
The EFCC extracted the commitment of the SAN to produce the ex-minister whenever he was needed in the course of the investigation.
The spokesman for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the ex-minister’s release of Agunloye to The PUNCH.
“Yes, you’re right, Mr Agunloye has been released by the commission,” Oyewale said.
The ex-minister was arrested and taken into custody on December 13. The EFCC had earlier declared him wanted, saying: “The public is hereby notified that Olu Agunloye, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of corruption and forgery.”
It was gathered that charges had been filed against him and he is scheduled to be arraigned in January.
The EFCC had rearrested the ex-minister on December 13, 2023, after getting an arrest warrant following allegations that Agunloye jumped bail.
EFCC sources privy to the development said that Agunloye would be arraigned in court in January 2024 on charges of official corruption and forgery to the tune of N6bn.
EFCC declared Agunloye wanted in connection with an alleged N6bn scam involving the contentious Mambilla hydropower project.
Agunloye was a minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government (1999-2003).
He has since been at the centre of the controversy about the Mambilla project.
He was accused by Obasanjo of illegally awarding the project’s contract without the Federal Executive Council’s consent.
Agunloye has since denied the allegation.
