Three witnesses of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday told a Federal High Court in Abuja in the money laundering suit preferred against a former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, that transactions in bank statements provided as exhibits in the suit followed laid down procedures.
Obiano, who was Anambra State governor between March 2014 and March 2022, is facing a nine-count charge before Justice Inyang Ekwo for allegedly defrauding the state to the tune of N4 billion.
The monies were alleged to have been stolen from the Anambra State security votes account, which was converted into dollars and given to the defendant (Obiano) in cash.
Three witnesses called by the prosecution from a new generation bank, Jeremiah Nnajenu, Obinna Onuh, and Gift Onyeachi, who testified as Prosecution Witnesses 6, 7, and 8, said transactions made to the bank accounts in exhibits in the suit were done by registered companies through normal banking transactions.
All three witnesses were earlier led in evidence by the Prosecution Counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, who first called Ayuba Tanko Abbullahi, Prosecution Witness 5, a Bureau de Change operator who told the court about the monies transferred into his account with the bank.
Prosecution Witness 5 said a total sum of N416 million was transferred to his company, Zirgazirga Trading Company, account by instalments from the state government’s account between April and December 2017, and he paid out the dollar equivalent of $1,157,000.
Under cross-examination by Defence Counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the witness, Abdullahi, admitted that he had no personal interaction with the defendant.
The three witnesses from the bank, also under cross-examination, admitted that they never had any interaction with the defendant as regards any of the transactions in the exhibits presented before the court.
At the close of testimony by PW8, Tahir told the court that the four other witnesses he had sought to call were not available because they had been transferred to Lagos State and he would need time to present them.
After the testimony of the PW8, the trial judge, Justice Ekwo, adjourned the matter till February 24, 25, and 26 2025 for the continuation of the trial.
It would be recalled that Justice Ekwo had, in April, dismissed Obiano’s application seeking to quash the N4 billion money laundering charges brought against him by the federal government.
The former governor had, amongst others, prayed the judge in his application to dismiss the 9-count charges instituted against him by the anti-graft agency on behalf of the federal government, claiming that there was no connection between the proof of evidence supplied to the court by the EFCC and the accusations against him, adding that there was no testimony from any witness indicating that he issued directives for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to the Anambra State government.
Obiano also claimed that he cannot be held accountable for any alleged unlawful actions by officials of the Anambra State government, as there is no concept of vicarious liability in the criminal justice system.
Among others, Obiano sought, “An order of the court quashing the instant charge for it amounts to flagrant abuse of judicial process and a mockery of the criminal justice. An order quashing the charge for non-disclosure of a prime facie case, being vague and devoid of precision in respect of all the 9-count charges, among others.
But in the ruling, Justice Ekwo held that all the reliefs sought by Obiano are not grantable because they are premature and lacking in merit and held that there is no way the court would know whether the former governor is linked with the alleged offences or not unless the trial is conducted in line with the provisions of the law.
The former governor is being prosecuted by the EFCC on 9-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N4 billion.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Obiano bypassed financial institutions in numerous unlawful cash transactions using funds allegedly stolen from the state’s account and that the amount of cash involved in the transactions exceeded the legally permitted limits.
Obiano pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.
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