By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The trial of Peter Nwaoboshi, a Senator of the Federal Republic representing Delta North Senatorial District commenced Wednesday before Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court sitting at Ikoyi, Lagos Nigeria with the prosecution calling two witnesses.
The Senator who was elected on the platform of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is facing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Senator Nwaoboshi who was earlier detained by the EFCC for some days before he was arraigned and took a plea last month is now out on bail after Justice Idris, released him on self-recognition.
The lawmaker was charged alongside two firms; Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suiming Electricals Limited.
Count one of the charge alleged that the Senator and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd fraudulently acquired a property known as Guinea House, situated at Marine Road, Apapa in Lagos, between May and June 2014, at a cost of N805 million.
The charge states that the defendants ought to have known that N322 million out of the purchase price of the property formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
Count two of the charge accused Suiming Electricals of aiding Senator Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Projects Ltd to commit money laundering.
While being led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, the first prosecution witness Prince Kpokpogiri, said he wrote a petition to the EFCC after he received an anonymous call and some documents at his office in Asaba, Delta State.
According to him, he was subsequently invited by the EFCC to Abuja to come and adopt the petition.
The witness told the court that he runs a non-governmental organisation, Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, as well as a real estate firm, P.K Aro Multiservices Nigeria Limited.
During cross examination, the witness said his petition did not contain a list of the firm’s Board of Directors because it was not mandatory.
He also said it was not his duty to investigate the contents of his petition before forwarding to the EFCC.
“I only investigated by going through the documents. I did not contact the defendants because it is the work of the EFCC.”
Anthony Idigbe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to the defendants, accused the witness of being an agent of the EFCC.
“I also put it to you that apart from the fact that you did not investigate the documents, you did not also take any step to verify the facts stated in the petition,” Idigbe suggested.
While giving his evidence, the second prosecution witness, Murtala Abubakar said Suiming Electricals Limited, (the third defendant), applied for a loan at the Nigerian Export Import Bank in December 2013, and it was approved in April 2014.
Abubakar, the head of Enterprise Risk Management unit at the bank, said Nwaoboshi was a former board member of the bank.
He also said that while the meeting to take a decision on the loan request was being held, Nwaoboshi indicated his interest in the transaction and was recused from the deliberation.
“The senator is a director at Bildeberg, a holding company which has the majority shareholding in Suiming Electricals Nigeria Limited, ” he stated
The witness further said the EFCC made five requests to the bank on Suiming Electricals, starting from June 2017, in respect of the loan transaction granted to the company.
He further stated that the company met all the bank’s conditions before the loan was disbursed.
The witness said although the third defendant had repaid over ₦1billion of the loan, it is still a non-performing one.
“The loan facility is for five years,” Abubakar said.
“There is a difference between paying and performing. When we give a loan, we give you a payment plan. When you are supposed to be paying ₦1million quarterly but you are paying ₦200,000, you are paying but you are not performing”.
After the explanation by the witness, the EFCC requested for an adjournment to enable it assemble its remaining four witnesses.
Justice Idris then adjourned the case till July 2nd and 3rd for continuation of trial.
