A prosecution witness on Tuesday narrated to the FCT Excessive Courtroom in Abuja how an intelligence report obtained by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) led to the investigation of former Nationwide Safety Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, and others for alleged diversion of arms funds.
Adariku Michael, a detective with EFCC, instructed the court docket that the fee obtained the report on 21 September 2015, alleging cash laundering and abuse of workplace.
Mr Michael additionally mentioned the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser (ONSA), which Mr Dasuki headed because the NSA between 2012 and 2015 in the course of the administration of then-President Goodluck Jonathan, diverted large quantities of cash between October 2014 and April 2015 to varied corporations.
The anti-graft company is prosecuting Mr Dasuki, a retired colonel, alongside a former Normal Supervisor on the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa; Acacia Holdings Restricted and Reliance Referral Hospital Restricted on 32 counts of fraud involving diversion of 33.2 billion arms funds entrusted to the NSA workplace.
In March, the EFCC re-arraigned the defendants on prison breach of belief, amongst different fees.
The rearraignment adopted the reassignment of the case that began in 2015 to a brand new choose, Charles Agbaza.
The defendants denied all fees as they did once they have been first arraigned in 2015.
Defence’s objection cuts quick testimony
Led in proof by prosecution lawyer Oluwaleke Atolagbe, EFCC detective Mr Michael instructed the court docket that he was a part of the fee’s group of particular job power.
Based on him, the group led by Halimah Kazeem, an officer of the EFCC, was assigned to crack the intelligence obtained in regards to the alleged diversion of funds entrusted in ONSA’s care.
“I acquired to learn about this case when the fee (EFCC) obtained an intelligence report on 21 September 2015 bordering on abuse of workplace and cash laundering, alleging that the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser had moved an enormous sum of cash between October 2014 and April 2015 to the accounts of varied corporations,” he mentioned.
On receiving the report, he mentioned, the group wrote a letter of investigation to the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN).
It was at this level that of the prosecution witness’ testimony that Mr Baba-Kusa’s defence lawyer, Solomon Umoh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raised an objection.
Mr Umoh knowledgeable the court docket that Mr Michael was not listed on the checklist of witnesses served to the defence group by the prosecution.
He mentioned the failure to incorporate Mr Michael within the checklist of prosecution witnesses frontloaded to the defence was a violation of part 379 of the Administration of Legal Justice Act (ACJA).
Nonetheless, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr Atolagbe, instructed the court docket that it was not the primary time the witness had given proof within the case.
Mr Atolagbe mentioned Mr Michael had testified within the case whereas the present FCT Chief Decide, Hussein Baba-Yusuf, was overseeing the case.
He additional said that the prosecution tendered a number of paperwork as displays via
Mr Atolagbe requested an adjournment to permit the prosecution do the needful.
The choose adjourned the case till 31 October.
READ ALSO: EFCC arraigns accountant for alleged N200 million theft
Background
Mr Dasuki and his co-defendant have stood trial in twin instances of diversion of varied sums of funds from ONSA earlier than the FCT Excessive Courtroom.
Each instances, with chequered historical past, have gone on in court docket with little progress for about 10 years.
Mr Atolagbe mentioned Mr Michael had testified within the trial whereas the present FCT Excessive Courtroom Chief Decide, Hussein Baba-Yusuf, was overseeing the case.
He additional mentioned the prosecution had tendered a number of paperwork as displays via the identical witness earlier than the earlier choose.
The trial, now earlier than the brand new trial choose, Mr Agbaza, was stalled after the prosecution introduced just one witness.
Additionally in 2015, the EFCC filed a separate case towards Mr Dasuki. He was charged alongside former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son, Sagir Bafarawa; and their firm, Dalhatu Funding Restricted.
They have been accused of prison breach of belief and misappropriation of N19.4 billion.
The case additionally suffered a number of adjournments. It’s at the moment earlier than one other FCT Excessive Courtroom choose, Yusuf Halilu.
These trials suffered a number of adjournments of their early years, largely as a result of State Safety Providers (SSS) refusing to launch Mr Dasuki on bail regardless of a number of court docket orders.
The instances are a part of Nigeria’s longest-running high-profile corruption trials, reflecting systemic delays within the nation’s judicial system.
Mr Dasuki served as NSA between 2012 and 2015, on the top of Boko Haram assaults in Nigeria’s North-east, in the course of the administration of then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
An audit panel arrange by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who got here to workplace after defeating Mr Jonathan within the 2015 presidential election, revealed that about $2 billion entrusted within the workplace of the NSA, then led by Mr Dasuki, for procurement of arms couldn’t be accounted for.
The EFCC, which instituted a number of fees towards numerous individuals who obtained funds from the NSA workplace, alleged that the arms funds have been doled out to pals, relations, political allies, significantly members of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP), for functions unrelated to the acquisition of arms.
