By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dele Belgore, Tuesday, told a Federal High sitting in Lagos, Nigeria that he had never met or spoken with a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
Belgore was testifying at his resumed trial over N450 million money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Commission is prosecuting Belgore, alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, over alleged money laundering to the tune of N450million.
The anti graft agency alleged that the money was part of a sum of 115 million dollars, which the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, doled out to influence the 2015 general elections.
The EFCC had since closed the case for the prosecution, after calling several witnesses and tendering exhibits.
The defence had accordingly, opened its case, and the first defendant (Belgore) was still being led in evidence by his counsel, Mr Ebun Shofunde (SAN).
In continuation of his evidence-in- chief, on Tuesday, Belgore told the court that as campaign co-ordinator in Kwara State in 2015, they were informed that monies will be sent from the Presidential Campaign Headquarters in Abuja, to the PDP in Kwara State, adding
that the money was being moved from Abuja to the PDP stakeholders in Kwara State.
Defence counsel then asked “PW 1 and PW 2 stated in their evidences that the money from which the N450 million was brought, came from some oil marketers,”
In response, Belgore said “Well, my lord, I do not know any of the said oil marketers that PW1 and 2 claimed provided the money.
“I have never met them, I have never dealt with them, or dealt with anybody who claimed to be acting on their behalf.
” I first heard of them in February 2017 when I was served with the proof of evidence,”
Defence asked “PW 1 said that the monies was paid into the Fidelity bank account of these oil marketers”
Belgore replied : “I have no information as regards that fact; it is not a fact within my knowledge at the material time, and it has not been a fact within my knowledge ever since,”
Shofunde “PW 1 and 2 also said that the money was paid out on the instructions of Diezani Allison -Madueke, how do react”
Belgore “My lord, I have no information that the money was paid on the instructions of Diezani; I have never met her, and I have never spoken with her.
“I have never dealt or spoken with anybody claiming to be acting on her behalf, in relation to me, in relation to PDP, in relation to the presidential campaign for which I was coordinator, and in relation to the said N450 million or any sums at all,”
When prompted further by his counsel the defendant added:
“As I have said before, as co-ordinator and stakeholder in Kwara State, we had asked the presidential campaign headquarters for funds for the election and we were told that there were no funds available,”
“We were however informed that there will be series of fund raising activities, where funds will be raised; I also know that within a very short time, the headquarter called me and said that the funds were available.
“So, all along, there was absolutely no case, no evidence, no indication, and nobody saying that the money came from any other place other than the presidential campaign headquarters.
“So, it was. surprise when I received the proof of evidence in February 2017, and when PW2 told the court in his evidence, of a different source of the money,”
The defendant said that as a matter fact, it was during investigations in November 2016, that he first heard from PW2 that the said funds did not come from the presidential campaign headquarters, as he was made to believe.
He said “Until this time, no one, other than PW2 and maybe PW1, has told me that the N450 million did not come from the fund raising activity conducted by the presidential campaign organisation,”
Earlier, the defence had exhibited before the court, two CCTV footages of a Bank, which were displayed for about two and a half hours in court.
The footage which had no audio, was displayed in the court’s flat screen television, and it depicted 20 box partitions of various scenes, which the defendant told the court were presumably different parts of a bank.
He pointed out that he did not see his image in the videos.
He had said “I also note that in the video, there were various scenes or snap shots of different places, presumably different parts of the bank, but I did not see myself in the first video and also did not see myself in the second video, “.
He also noted that the first video had a date of 08/02/2017, by which time he said the instant charge against him had already commenced in court.
Justice Aikawa had adjourned until March 27 and April 10 for continuation of trial.