Ahmed Idris, suspended accountant-general of the federation, is seeking a plea bargain in a criminal suit preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In criminal proceedings, a plea bargain is an arrangement between defendants and prosecutors in which defendants agree to plead guilty to some or all of the charges against them in exchange for lesser penalties.
The parties in the suit work out a mutually satisfactory disposition of the case, subject to court approval.
Idris was arrested in Kano after he failed to respond to invitations by the commission to answer questions over the allegation of N80 billion fraud.
Two days later, Idris was suspended indefinitely “without pay” by Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning.
On July 22, he was arraigned on a 14-count charge alongside Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and a firm — Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
The defendants were granted bail in liberal terms.