The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Mr Bankole, who has been in the commission’s custody since Sunday night before he was formerly charged to the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, answered in the negative when the charges were read to him. The judge then ruled that Mr Bankole be remanded to the custody of the EFCC until Friday, when his bail application will be heard.
The commission had accused Mr Bankole of contract fixing worth millions of naira and also inflation of the cost of items bought by the house, such as television sets, which it described as an act of fraud and an offense contrary to Section 58 (4) (a) of the public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (5) of the same Act.
