The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has presented its ninth and tenth witnesses before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the ongoing trial of former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano.
Obiano is facing a nine-count charge of embezzlement and money laundering involving N4 billion. The case, brought by the EFCC, alleges financial misconduct during his tenure as governor.
At Monday`s proceedings, the EFCC called Prosecution Witness 9, PW9, Andrew Ali, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Head of the License office who revealed that three companies out of the 23 company accounts connected with the alleged N4 billion fraud were not duly licensed with the CBN to carry out bureau de change business.
Ali, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Slyvanus Tahir, SAN, disclosed that Connaught International service, SY Panda Enterprise and Zirga Zirga Trading company were not licensed to carry out BDC business, adding that Zirga Zirga has been delisted from the CBN license list before 2014.
“Sometimes around April 2023, we receive two letters from the EFCC regarding some 23 financial institutions to know if they were licensed or not, I recall forwarding the two letters to the desk officer, who upon review, said we have received such letters in the past before so we comprehensively replied the EFCC in a letter dated May 21, 2023 and as seen in the letter of our response, out of 23 companies, three of them were not registered” he said.
While being cross -examined by defence counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Ali recalled that Zirga Zirga trading company did not meet the licensing requirements before 2014. “Once you do not meet the requirements, you are delisted. It is in public knowledge that we only supervise the people that are licensed, once you are not on our list, we lose the power to supervise you . We run public notice to sensitise the public not to operate with unlicensed companies which is also on our website.
He stated further that, “it is stated clearly in section 15 and 19 of the CBN Revised Operational Guidelines 2015. Our work is to regulate, and supervise them. Once you do not meet the requirement of renewable licensing, you will be delisted and we publish it on our valedictory list which is on our website. BDCs also have operational accounts which they do business with, they are not allowed to do business without those accounts.” he revealed.
The Tenth Prosecuting Witness, PW10, Udochukwu Okparache, told the court that he was not aware of a total sum of N860m lodged in his company`s account by the Anambra State government.
Okparache, a general contractor and owner of Youdooh Ventures Limited, made the disclosure while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, stating that when he inquired from his account officer to confirm to him what was going on with his account domiciled with the bank, he said the account officer told him that the transactions carried out with his account was to boost his account status to enable him meet the requirements of traveling abroad.
“Sometimes in April 2023, I was called by the EFCC to come and give clarification in respect of Youdooh Ventures bank account, which I opened in Awka and when I got there, they showed me the transactions I had done with the Anambra State government but couldn’t understand the transaction that was there. Immediately, I called my account officer, who told me that he was boosting my account. The inflows were made through Manager’s cheques and the outflows were done by individuals.
“The transactions that were done in that account were through Manager’s cheques, which was about N60 million but N860 million was the total amount that passed through my account, which Cherish Ventures Limited, Chief Mrs Eberechi Willie Obiano, Easy Demands Limited and so many others companies benefited from the transactions. I did not bid for any contract with the Anambra State government,” he said.
While analyzing exhibit PW3 A1-A5 particularly page 119 to 145, which was his statements of account, the witness confirmed that monies were transferred into his account in tranches. He explained that N18 million was paid on 5 April, 2018 and N9 million on the same date.
According to him, further payment was made into his account on April 11, 2018, while N7 million was transferred to Chief Mrs. Willie Obiano, wife of the defendant.
During cross examination by defense counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, the witness stated that the reason he did not report to the bank when he noticed the transactions was that he wanted his account to be boosted. He also denied knowing the defendant stressing that he didn’t know if it was the defendant that authorized all the transactions.
