Mrs. Mariam Ali,Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-governmental Affairs, has obtained court permission to stand as surety for one of the oil marketers standing trial before an Ikeja High Court, Christian Taylor.
Mrs Ali is also the wife of the former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Ahmadu Ali.
On July 26, Christian Taylor a Sierra Leonian and his Nigeria cohorts were granted bail by a Lagos High Court . Each defendants were asked to source for two sureties ,one of whom must be a blood relative with landed property within Lagos. Also both guarantors must be willing to deposit the sum of N20million each into the coffers of the court.
One of Mr. Ali’s son Mamman is also standing trial in the same case.
The proviso of having a blood relation among the sureties thwarted effort to grant the temporary release of Mr. Taylor.
At a resumed hearing yesterday,counsel to Mr Taylor, Mr. Kolade Obafemi, urged the court to accept “a reputable and responsible Nigerian in place of a blood relation” as surety.
Obafemi argued that Mrs. Ali is ready to stand surety for Taylor and will use her landed property in Surulere, Lagos, as part of the bail bond.
Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), for the prosecution, queried the existence of Mrs. Ali, pointing out that she had not made any deposition before the court.
Obafemi described Mrs. Ali as a public servant and a responsible Nigerian.
“Mrs. Ali is a reputable public servant and Special Adviser to the President on Inter-governmental Relations,” he said.
The prosecution opposed the application for the variation of the bail condition on the grounds that Taylor was trying to misrepresent facts by initially claiming in his statement that he hailed from Okpe Local Government Area of Edo State and later that he was a Sierra-Leonean, when he was asked to bring a surety.
But his counsel assured the court that he would not jump bail.
Justice Onigbanjo said the essence of bail was to allow the defendant unfettered access to his lawyers.
He then varied the bail conditions and substituted “family member” with “a reputable and responsible Nigerian, with landed property”.