The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Olomotane Egoro, on Thursday, maintained that the name of a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, did not appear as signatory to the exhibits before the court.
Egoro, the EFCC’s 7th prosecution witness (PW-7) and a compliant officer from Access Bank Plc, told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, while being cross-examined by Mr Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, on the bank documents the prosecution tendered as exhibits.
The witness, who was subpoenaed by the anti-graft agency to testify in the alleged money laundering trial against the ex-governor, admitted that no transaction in Exhibit 33(8) had Mr Bello’s name.
Egoro reiterated that the withdrawals between May and December 2022, which were mentioned during his examination-in-chief, were within the cash withdrawal threshold of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
On the issue of suspicious transactions said to have been reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the witness said not all cash withdrawals by Siyaka Yakubu, whose name was mentioned in the exhibit, were suspicious.
“My testimony is the pattern of withdrawals by the customer,” he said.
Daudu then asked the PW-7, “So, the outflow that was transferred by Siyaka to any person in Exhibit 33(8) will not amount to suspicious transaction (ST).
“For example, the N20 million for the supply of education materials will not qualify as suspicious transaction?”
“No my lord, it won’t,” the witness responded.
“So, that will naturally go for all other outflows for which reasons or purposes were given?” the lawyer asked.
“My lord, it is not all cash withdrawals that are suspicious and not all transfers that are suspicious or illegal,” the witness said.
Egoro also agreed that he did not know the business relationship between the two companies mentioned in some outflows from October to December 2022, and that he did not also know the purpose of the transactions.
Justice Nwite admitted the certified true copy of proceedings before Justice Obiora Egwuatu as Exhibit 35(D-2) after it was tendered by Daudu.
Egoro was then told to confirm Exhibit 34(1) and Exhibit 34(2) as Kogi State Government House Account Opening Package and Government House Administration Account, respectively, which he did.
He also admitted that he was not the relationship manager, especially on Exhibit 34(2), adding that he was not equally familiar with the workings of the Kogi State Government House.
Looking at Exhibit 34(1), the witness confirmed that the name, “Aminu Jimoh Olanrewaju,” appeared as one of the signatories to the account.
“Confirm to court if Aminu Jimoh Olanrewaju is described as Director of Account in the exhibit,” Daudu asked and the witness responded in affirmative.
He also confirmed that all the withdrawals in Exhibit 34(2), in tranches of N10 million each, made by Olanrewaju, did not exceed the limit of cash withdrawal set by the CBN.
This, he admitted, was the same for the cash withdrawals by Abdulsalam Hudu in Exhibit 34(2).
“Go through exhibit 34(2), which you tendered and see if the name of the defendant, Yahaya Adoza Bello, appears in any of the columns as a beneficiary,” Daudu asked.
The PW-7 confirmed that the name of the former governor was not in the exhibit.
He also admitted that the ex-governor was not a signatory in Exhibit 34(1).
The witness was then told to look at the account opening package and statement of account of E-Traders International Limited, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, domiciled at Maraba branch of Access Bank.
Egoro gave the signatories as Abdullahi Jamilu and Salisu Abdulmajeed.
When the lawyer asked him to read out what Jamilu and Abdulmajeed do for a living from a column in the exhibit, the witness said: “Sale of system and appliances.”
When Daudu asked him on multiple transactions made up of withdrawals and deposits by Abdullahi Jamilu, the witness agreed that as a signatory to the account, the customer, Jamilu, had a right to transact.
He also agreed that he did not know the purpose of the transactions except as stated in the column of the transaction.
Kayode Enitan, SAN, one of the EFCC’s lawyer, thereafter called the PW-8, Gabriel Ochoche, a employee of First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
The witness was given Exhibit 37 to confirm which covered the period between June 29, 2021 and December 31, 2024, and he did.
Ochoche took the court through the inflows and outflows on the accounts of Keyless Nature Limited and Kunfayakun Global Business Enterprise.
He confirmed multiple transactions between Eja Dams Essence Limited and Kunfayakun, dated February 18, 2022.
After Enitan was done with the evidence-in-chief, Daudu told the court that he needed to go through the proof of evidence before he could cross-examine the PW-8.
Another EFCC lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, raised an objection to Daudu’s application, claiming that the proof of evidence had been given to the defence team over two years ago.
The judge, however, said he was totally exhausted, having started the proceeding after 9am to 3pm.
Justice Nwite thereafter adjourned the matter until March 3 and 9 for continuation of trial.
(NAN)
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