Manslaughter: Appeal Court grants Ibinabo Fiberesima bail pending appeal

Embattled ex-beauty queen, Ibinabo Fiberesima, was granted bail by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos pending the determination of her appeal at the Supreme Court over five years imprisonment for manslaughter.

Justice Deborah Oluwayemi, of the State High Court, had, in 2009, convicted Fiberesima of manslaughter, and held that her reckless driving was responsible for an auto crash which claimed the life of one Dr. Giwa Suraj on Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Justice Oluwayemi sentenced Fiberesima to five years imprisonment, and overruled the decision of the State Magistrates’ Court which earlier ordered the actress to pay N100,000 for the offence.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, the convict approached the Court of Appeal to nullify the verdict but, the court also affirmed the ruling.

Again, Fiberesima approached the Supreme Court and the matter is pending before the court. Besides, Fiberesima filed an application before the Court of Appeal where she prayed the court  to release her on bail pending when the Supreme Court would hear and determine her appeal against the appellate court’s judgment.

In an  affidavit of urgency filed in support of her bail application before the Appeal Court, one Victor Eden said Fiberesima had just undergone surgery for breast cancer and was still under the watch of her doctors.

Eden said Fiberesima’s surgical wound had yet to properly heal, adding that the actress was afraid that her life might be endangered if kept in the prison custody.

He said it would best serve the interest of justice to release Fiberesima on bail while the Supreme Court’s decision in her case was being awaited

The Lagos State Government did not oppose the application but urged the court to use its discretion.

The state represented by Mrs Rotimi Odutola, held that what really concern the state was the pursuit of the appeal filed by the convict.

She said bases of the appeal was not on whether Feberesima was guilty or not, adding the actress did not  disputed her conviction but only appeal sentence.

After listening to the argument of  both parties, Justice Sidi Bage, who led the three-man panel granted the convict bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.