Aide received $17.1 million for Emefiele for three years, EFCC investigator tells court

An EFCC investigator, Mr Alvan Gurumnaan, on Tuesday (27 May), told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that an aide received $17.1 million on behalf of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over a three-year period.

Mr Emefiele is standing trial along with a co-defendant, Henry Omoile, on charges of fraud involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion in total.

The former CBN governor is charged with counts of receiving gratification and making corrupt demands, while his co-defendant is facing charges related to the unlawful acceptance of gifts by agents.

Mr Gurumnaan, an Assistant Commandant with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said that he was assigned to head a special operations unit tasked with investigating both defendants.

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He was led in evidence by the EFCC lead counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The witness told the court that the anti-graft agency had earlier received several intelligence reports against Mr Emefiele, even while he was in office.

He said the reports bordered on allegations of abuse of office, demanding and receiving gratification, procurement fraud, and living above his means.

The witness told the court that one of the former CBN governor’s close aides, Monday Osazuwa, received a total of $17.1 million from a businessman at an address in Victoria Island, Lagos, between September 2020 and June 2023.

“Osazuwa collected these sums in various tranches and delivered them to Emefiele at his Ikoyi residence,” he said.

Mr Gurumnaan also stated that part of the money was handed to Mr Emefiele’s co-defendants, Henry Omoile, on the ex-CBN governor’s instruction.

“The special operations team launched a far-reaching investigation, issuing multiple requests for documents and inviting key staff from several CBN departments.

“One name that surfaced repeatedly during the investigation was that of Eric Odoh, Emefiele’s former personal assistant.

“All efforts to bring Odoh in for questioning were unsuccessful as he had absconded and was traced to the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries,” he said.

The investigator also said that EFCC wrote to agencies such as the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Corporate Affairs Commission, seeking more information.

He said it was during the investigation that some staff members who worked directly under Mr Emefiele either at the CBN’s headquarters or at the Lagos annex were questioned.

The witness said there were instances where Mr Emefiele’s aide said he handed the money directly to Mr Emefiele.

“The aide said Emefiele always confirms the receipt of the sums of money with the businessman in question over the phone after each transaction.

“The contact person was also invited for questioning and he confirmed giving Emefiele’s aide a total sum of $17.1 million.

“The team also examined the phone of the businessman, and some WhatsApp chats were revealed and printed at the EFCC Lagos office for use during the trial,” he said.

When the prosecution sought to tender the printed documents as exhibits, counsel to Emefiele, Olalekan Ojo, a SAN, did not object.

However, counsel for Mr Emefiele’s co-defendant, Adeyinka Kotoye, also a SAN, urged the court to allow him to tender his objections during the final written address.

The judge agreed and admitted the documents as exhibits. However, the defence counsel requested leave of court to conduct an independent forensic examination of the exhibits.

The defence submitted that it would be beneficial for them during cross-examination.

The court thereafter ordered them to file a formal application to that effect, to enable the prosecution to file an appropriate response.

The case was adjourned till 7 October for continuation of trial.

Ex-aide testifies on $400,000 handed to Emefiele

The seventh prosecution witness, John Adetola, earlier told the court on Monday that he did not document the alleged $400,000 he handed to Mr Emefiele.

MR Adetola, an executive assistant to the former CBN governor, said this on Monday while being cross-examined by Mr Emefiele’s lead counsel, Mr Ojo,

Mr Adetola also admitted that he did not present to EFCC any WhatsApp chat or telephone conversation informing Mr Emefiele about collecting the $400,000 on his behalf.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Adetola had, in his evidence-in-chief, testified that he delivered $400,000 to Mr Emefiele.

However, under cross-examination, Mr Adetola admitted that he did not keep any record of the alleged $400,000 receipt.

He narrated that in 2018, Eric Odoh sent him a WhatsApp message instructing him to collect the sum from one John Ayoh and hand it over to Mr Emefiele when he arrived in Lagos.

“I went to John Ayoh’s house at Lekki; he gave me an envelope. I came back to the office and gave it to the former CBN governor,” the witness said.

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The witness also told the court that in his extrajudicial statement, made while in EFCC custody, he did not mention any WhatsApp or telephone conversation with Mr Emefiele regarding the $400,000.

MR Adetola denied any agreement with the EFCC to testify against Emefiele in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

He added that the EFCC confronted him with WhatsApp printouts related to the alleged money.

Under cross-examination by Mr Kotoye, the counsel for the second defendant, the witness confirmed he had no dealings with the second defendant in relation to his testimony.

During re-examination by EFCC counsel, Mr Oyedepo, the witness was asked why he did not document the $400,000 he allegedly collected on Emefiele’s behalf.

“I didn’t see any need for it,” he replied.

Trial judge Rahman Oshodi thereafter discharged the witness and fixed the following day, Tuesday (27 May), for continuation of trial. (NAN)