*As court docket grants ex-apex governor depart to attraction ruling on jurisdiction
Funke Olaode
A prosecution witness for the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), within the trial of speedy previous Governor of Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has admitted demanding and receiving bribes from contractors.
The witness, a retired Director within the IT Division of CBN, Mr John Ayoh, made the admittance underneath cross examination by Emefiele’s lawyer, Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN.
Emefiele is standing trial on a 23-count cost of abuse of workplace and fraud to the tune of $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
He pleaded not responsible to the costs and was admitted to bail to allow him adequately defend the costs.
The trial decide, Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Excessive Court docket in Lagos, gave Emefiele permission to file an attraction towards his resolution (on the attraction court docket), deferring ruling on the court docket’s jurisdiction to listen to the matter.
The depart was sequel to Emefiele’s insistence that the Ikeja Excessive Court docket lacked the jurisdiction to strive him on the grounds that the matter at hand bordered on overseas trade, which is on the Unique Record of the structure.
On the resumed trial yesterday, the prosecution, led by Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, known as three witnesses and tendered a number of bundles of paperwork in help of EFCC’s allegations towards Emefiele.
Amongst those that testified yesterday had been Mr Victor Onyejuiwa, the managing director of Supply Computer systems Restricted, an organization that had executed varied contracts value billions of naira on the CBN earlier than Emefiele grew to become Governor of the apex financial institution.
The others had been Ayoh and a workers of Zenith Financial institution Plc, Mr Clement Ngolu.
Responding to questions from Emefiele’s lawyer, the previous CBN director admitted that he demanded and acquired a bribe from Onyejuiwa. He was, nonetheless, unable to elucidate or join the previous CBN governor with the bribery actions.
In the meantime, responding to questions on his relationship with Emefiele, the witness noticed that he was side-lined by Emefiele as a result of he was not fashionable with him.
Ayoh acknowledged, “I used to be not completely satisfied being unpopular with the previous CBN governor however on a lot of events, I signed contract letters to distributors.
“Whereas I used to be a director with the CBN, my loyalty was to the financial institution and the Nigerian nation and my relationship with Emefiele was solely formal and primarily based on directions.”
Earlier, Onyejuiwa, whereas being questioned by Emefiele’s lawyer, admitted that he was pressured towards his want by Ayoh to make cost for jobs executed on the CBN. He alleged that the previous director had threatened that his firm wouldn’t be paid except such cost was made to administration.
Nevertheless, the third prosecution witness, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Financial institution, Mr. Clement Ngolu, in his Proof-in-Chief, stated his division responded to regulators and legislation enforcement companies as a way to be sure that the financial institution actions had been in keeping with banks insurance policies and laws.
He added that his division labored with companies like EFCC, Nigeria Police, ICPC and NSCDC.
The witness stated that typically in 2014, his division obtained a request from EFCC to furnish them with statements of accounts of Limelight and two different accounts and so they duly furnished the fee with the paperwork.
Ngolu acknowledged, “The paperwork we despatched to EFCC had been duly signed by workers of the financial institution.
“The method of producing the assertion was by means of our laptop system, which was in good situation as on the time.
“The paperwork had been printed out from the corporate’s laptop, which was working nicely and the paperwork are within the financial institution’s custody.”
The defence, nonetheless, stated that they had no query for the witness.
Oshodi admitted some bundles of paperwork as displays after legal professionals representing the defendants didn’t object to their admissibility.
The paperwork, which had been tendered by the prosecution by means of Ngolu included; the unique copies of Zenith Checking account opening package deal; and assertion of account of Limelight Multidimensional Providers Restricted.
He adjourned the case to Friday, Could 17, 2024 for the continuation of trial.
It will be recalled that EFCC had on April 8 arraigned Emefiele on a 23-count cost bordering on abuse of workplace, accepting gratifications, corrupt demand, receiving property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt benefit, whereas his co-defendant was arraigned on a three-count cost bordering on acceptance of reward by brokers.
