By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The second prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), Mr Peter Ademola Adegoke on Thursday told a Federal High court sitting in Lagos, Nigeria, that funds were transferred from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to Starline Consultancy Services Ltd account with Fidelity Bank between 2014 and 2016.
The witness who was led in evidence in chief by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr Ekene Iheanacho in the trial of former Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Tuoyo Omatsuli, Francis Momoh and two companies; Don Parker Properties Ltd, and Building Associates Ltd said that funds were at various times between 2014 and 2016 transferred from Starline Consultancy account with Fidelity Bank to Building Associates, the fourth defendant Tuoyo Omatsuli, Don Parker Properties Ltd, Francis Momoh and Building Associates Ltd are first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.
They were docked on November 28, 2018, on a 45-counts charge bordering on corruption, gratification, fraud and money laundering.
They had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were admitted to bails, having perfected the conditions.
At the resumed trial of the defendants on Thursday, Mr Ekene .E Iheanacho appeared for the prosecution, Prof. A. Aguda-Kehinde (SAN) appeared for the first defendant and while Norrison Quakers (SAN) appeared for 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants.
While being led in evidence by the prosecutor the witness who is a banker with Fidelity Bank said that he has been with bank for the past ten years.
He said that he is a compliance officer with the bank, adding that his schedule of duties include receiving requests from law enforcement agents, to provide details of customers such as customer’s account opening documents, statements of accounts, tickets of transactions and any other information required by the agency.
When asked to cast his mind back to July 12, 2016, and tell the court what he knew about the case, he said that he received a letter from EFCC requesting account opening document and statement of account of the bank’s customer, Starline Counsultancy Services Ltd and he obliged the request.
“We got another letter from EFCC asking for tickets of transactions which were done by a customer and we gave them statement of account. We provided the documents as requested.
In answer to another question, the witness told the court that one Ibinabo Michael West is signatory to the account.Under cross examination by Prof Aguda (SAN), the witness said that in all the documents, he did not see the name of Tuoyo, the first defendant.
Justice Saidu adjourns the matter till tomorrow April 12 for continuation of trial.
According to the charge, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offences between August 2014 and September 2015.
The first defendant was alleged to have procured the third and fourth accused (Momoh and Building Associates) to utilise a total sum of N3.6 billion paid by Starline Consultancy Services Ltd into an account operated by fourth accused.
The prosecution averred that they ought to have known that the said sums, formed part of the proceeds of their unlawful activities which includes corruption and gratification.
The offences contravene the provisions of Sections 15(1), 15(2), 15(3) and 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended by Act No 1 of 2012.
