The head of Media and Publicity for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dele Oyewale, disclosed on Saturday that former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam received a cash equivalent of $15.8 million at his residence.
He stated that a witness recounted how Suswam, along with his then Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, is facing 11 amended charges of money laundering amounting to ₦3.1 billion. This sum is reportedly part of the proceeds from the sale of state government shares held by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, which were sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
During the court proceedings, the witness, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, who has been providing testimony since 2018, first before Justice A.R. Mohammed and later before Justice Okon Abang, revealed that the total amount of ₦3.1 billion was transferred to him by Suswam through a proxy in multiple installments. The initial installment of ₦413 million was credited to his account on August 8, 2014, with subsequent transfers completing the total.
Umar, while being examined by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, confirmed that the individual who facilitated the naira transfers was a woman.
The witness indicated that he converted the total sum of ₦3.1 billion into dollars, which he calculated to be $15.8 million at an exchange rate of ₦197 to a dollar, and subsequently delivered it to Suswam at his residence in Maitama, Abuja.
"One day in 2014, while I was at my office, the former governor of Benue State requested that I meet him at his home in Maitama, Abuja. Upon arrival, I found him there with a fair-skinned woman. He instructed me to provide the woman with my account number, which I did, giving her my Zenith Bank account number. The woman assured me that she would transfer money into that account."
On August 8, 2014, a sum of N413 million was deposited into my account. Following this transaction, I contacted the former governor, who advised me to convert the funds into dollars. I requested additional time to complete this conversion. Three days later, after obtaining the dollar equivalent, I informed the former governor that the funds were ready. He instructed me to deliver the money to his residence in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque. I advised him to notify the security personnel at the gate of my arrival to ensure my access. Upon taking a cab to his house, I arrived and knocked at the gate, which was opened. I provided my name, and they granted me entry through the first and second gates, where I waited in a designated area until he arrived. I then presented the money, which we both verified to be equivalent to the N413 million, with the exchange rate at that time being N197.
Further testifying, he stated that on September 12, 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account. Approximately 40 minutes later, an additional N363 million was credited to my account. On October 13, 2014, a transfer of N630,008,050 (Six Hundred and Thirty Million, Eight Thousand and Fifty Naira) was made to my account. Subsequently, on October 17, 2014, a transfer of N1,068,000,000 (One Billion, Sixty-eight Million) was also credited. The transfers were executed by a woman who had been directed by the former governor. In total, the amount transferred to my account reached N3 billion.
The witness clarified that he had not been arrested by the EFCC for providing testimony in favor of the defendant, nor had he been coerced by the Commission to testify against the defendant. He also noted that he did not possess receipts or a record book for these transactions, as he typically purchases dollars from fellow retailers and maintains records at his discretion. Justice Lifu has adjourned the proceedings until October 4, 2024, for the continuation of the trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment