A Benin High Court 3 sitting in Benin on Monday ordered the immediate past Secretary to Edo State government, Dr Simon Imuekemhe and three other remanded in prison custody.
Justice Esther Edigin ordered that Imuekemhe and the others be remanded in prison until March 14, 2014.
Imuekemhe, Joseph Emoabino, Aghator Efe and Davidi Igbinoba are been tried on eight count charges of diversion of fund among others.
The particulars of the offense said Imuekemhe, being the the then SSG had conspired with the three to divert a total sum of N113m, being the state UBE fund to another project not covered by the intervention funds.
They are been tried by the EFCC on the offense which was they allegedly committed on June 5, 2012 when Emoabino was the states UBE chairman, Igbinoba the secretary and Efe the Director of finance and accounts.
The four accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when the case came up for hearing on Monday.
Counsel to Imuekemhe, Mr Omoruyi Omonuwa had applied for the accused to be granted bail.
Omonuwa’s bail application was however opposed by the counsel to EFCC, Mr. Larry Aso.
He said he was opposing the application on the ground that the four accused had been on administrative bail since when the matter was supposed to come up in court on February 26.
In her ruling, Justice Esther Edigin turned down the bail application on the ground that the administrative bail has elapsed since the matter was now before the court.
“I cannot grant bail when the bail application has not been heard,” she stressed.
Edigin then ordered that the four accused be remanded in prison custody until March 14 when the bail application will come up for hearing.
