An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Okpoziakpo Eloho, on Thursday told an Abuja High Court that a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, did not benefit from the $6.2 million fraud.
Mr Eloho, who is the 14th Prosecution Witness (PW 14), said this during cross-examination by Mathew Burka, SAN, counsel for Mr Emefiele.
The EFCC charged Mr Emefiele with criminal breach of trust, forgery, abuse of office, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence while serving as CBN governor.
Specially, the EFCC accused Mr Emefiele of conferring corrupt advantages on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
At the resumed sitting, Mr Eloho, who led the police investigation of the former CBN boss, stated that Mr Emefiele, in his statement, denied ever giving approval and authorisation for the release of the money to anybody.
He also said that the defendant also denied ever receiving any letter from the then Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, or acting on any such letter.
Answering a question, Mr Eloho admitted that Jibril Abubakar appeared before his probe panel during the investigation and admitted collecting the $6.2 million from the Abuja branch of the CBN.
He also said that none of those interviewed or investigated in respect of the money told the investigators that the defendant benefited in one way or the other.
The CP said that though Mr Abubakar claimed to be a worker in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), investigation later showed that he was never an employee in the SGF office.
The witness further stated that despite the confession of Mr Abubakar that he collected the money from the apex bank, he (the witness) is unaware if Mr Abubakar was tried in any law court.
Answering further questions, the witness claimed that Bashirudeen Maishanu, a staff member of the CBN, was also interrogated and he confessed to stealing the money.
When shown a series of exhibits, especially correspondences exchanged during the processing, approval and release of the funds, the witness admitted that protocol was breached.
He said, going by the hierarchy of the management of the apex bank, that under normal circumstances correspondence from the CBN governor ought to go to the deputy governor and from there downwards.
“I recall that on December 13, 2023, we were at Kuje correctional centre, where the defendant made his statement in relation to his office and the said money,” he said.
On the statement made by the former SGF to the investigators, the witness told the court that it was the special investigator, Jim Obaze, who took the statement and he was present when the former SGF claimed his signature was forged.
On the forensic examination carried out by EFCC on the signature of former SGF to verify the alleged forgery, the witness said, “It would have been desirable to carry out a similar forensic examination on Emefiele’s signature the way it was done to Boss Mustapha.”
There was an objection raised by Mr Burkaa when Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN asked for some exhibits which were not part of the ones for the $6.2 million fraud during his re-examination.
Mr Burkaa told the court that Section 215(3) of the Evidence Act forbids such and the witness is testifying only about the $6.2 million, not the entire suit.
In a short ruling, Justice Hamza Muazu held that there was no ambiguity on the document the witness spoke to.
He held that he does not want the witness to continue his investigation in open court.
Mr Muazu then adjourned until Friday for continuation.
(NAN)
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