Jonathan’s aide stands as surety for fuel subsidy fraud suspect
The Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Intergovernmental Affairs, Mrs.
Mariam Ali, has volunteered to be the bail surety for one of the suspects of fuel subsidy
fraud, Christian Taylor.
Christian Taylor, a Sierra Leonean, who is amongst the people arraigned for the fuel subsidy
scam was, last week granted bail by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo. But on Tuesday, he applied
to have his bail conditions varied.
The judge was told by his lawyer, Kolade Obafemi that it would be difficult for him as a
foreigner to produce a blood relation to stand surety for him as he has no such relation in
Nigeria.
The lawyer then informed the court that in place of a blood relative, a reputable and
responsible Nigerian, an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Mariam Ali, has agreed to
stand surety for the Sierra-Leonean.
“The proposed surety, Dr. Mariam Ali is a responsible Nigerian. She is the Special Assistant
to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs,” he said.
Mrs. Ali who is a Special Adviser to President Jonathan has also agreed to use her landed
property situated in Surulere, Lagos as part of the bail bond.
Taylor is standing trial alongside with Mahman Ali, who is son of Mariam and a former
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali.
Although the prosecution led by counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, opposed the
variation of the bail condition on the ground that Taylor was trying to misrepresent fact as he
had earlier claimed in his statement that he was a native of Edo State from Okpe local
government area before turning around to claim Sierra leone, his counsel assured the court
that he would not jump bail.
The judge, however overruled Jacobs, saying, “the essence of granting the bail was to
ensure that the accused attended trial.”
Based on this, Justice Onigbanjo varied the bail condition and substituted it with a reputable
and responsible Nigerian with landed property in Lagos.
Taylor and Ali along with their company, Nasaman Oil Services were arraigned on July 26 on
three counts which includes the fraudulent collection of about N2.23bn from the Central
Bank of Nigeria as subsidy for importing PMS.