Witness admits error in statement indicting Emefiele,  former CBN governor in $600,000 fraud  

Admin I Friday, May 17, 2024

 

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court today granted a request of the  defence to recall  the first prosecution witness in the alleged abuse of office  and multi-billion case against  the Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that when the case was called, the  counsel to to Emefiele’s co-defendant, Mr Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN) notified the court of a motion on notice dated May 6 and sought the indulgence of the court to recall one Mr Monday Osazuwa, 

Osazuwa, had on April 12 testified how the embattled governor, on different occasions, directed him to collect three million dollars cash in tranches.

Oshodi, granted the application of Gbadamosi to recall the witness, following no objections from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).

He said: “In the motion on notice dated May six and filed on May seven, the second defence counsel seeks an order to recall the first prosecution witness (PW1)

“The second defence counsel seeks to further cross-examine PWI on matters listed in paragraph 4 D on the affidavit in support of the application.

“The recall was also premised on nine grounds and the six paragraph affidavits was filed in support of the application and equally is a written address filed on May seven.The prosecution did not not file a rebuttal and I hereby grant the application,”

EFCC counsel, then prayed  the court for a leave to further examine the 4th prosecution witness, a contractor,  who had started his evidence in chief on May  nine and the leave was granted by the court.

The witness, in his continuation of his examination in chief, told  the court  that  there was an error in his extra judicial statement regarding the location  where the $600,000 was given to the second prosecution witness, a  former Director of Information Technology of CBN, Mr John Ayoh.

According to him, the sum of $400,000  was given to Ayoh in Lagos while  $200,000 was given to him in Abuja.

Under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), the witness said he wrote the statement in the presence of his lawyer, Mr Olukayode Enitan (SAN) but he was aware of the error  later.

He confirmed to the court that there were only two errors in the statement he released to his lawyer after  he wrote  the extra judicial statement.

According to him: “Apart from the two  errors, there are no other errors in my statement but there  are omissions because I wrote 2014 to 2018 instead of 2014 to 2020.

“As a businessman of over 20 years of experience, I know I have a civic duty not to give bribes to anybody and I know that  I have duties to report anyone that offers a bribe  but I did  not report because I was under serious pressure from my partners to pay them.

“I was paid the money in December 2018 and upon receiving the money, my partners stopped putting pressure on me.

“Although between 2018 and 2024 when  the pressure had gone,I did not report the issue of bribe to EFCC and my primary reason  for being here is not for the recovery of my money.”

The witness further informed the court his partners  were not stakeholders in his company but were Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

He also confirmed he did not write in his extra judicial statement that his partners pressured him but he said it in his evidence in chief. The judge adjourned the case until July 9 for the continuation of trial.