Trial continued in the ongoing allegations of conspiracy and theft against four defendants; Hakeem Bakare, Babatunde Oyenuga, Baklang Consultant Limited and Baka Investments Company Nigeria Limited.
At the proceeding on Monday, Tunji Oguntayo, a staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, confirmed to Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, that his company had paid in full the value of the contract to Mr. Hakeem Bakare and his company, Baklang Consultant Limited, even though the defendants denied payment to, a sub-contractor Popham Walter Odusote Limited, PWO.
He said the payments in two tranches were for CNL Escravos Master City Plan and Escravos Gas projects.
He further told the court that no money was stolen from CNL in respect of the charge, just as he informed the court that he does not have the full details of the charge.
While also being cross-examined by the 2nd and 4th defendants counsel, Mr. Isaac M, the CNL staff told the judge that he does not know the second defendant (Babatunde Oyenuga) who was solely present in the dock, while other defendants were absent at the proceeding.
However, another witness, Mr. Okunola Odusote, an architect with PWO, narrated to the court how Mr. Hakeem Bakare and his company, Baklang Consultant Limited, sub-contracted projects to his company but failed to make payments.
He said works were carried out on Escravos Master City Plan for terminal base for CNL.
“We were asked to design and do the engineering work.
He said funds were raised to pay off staff when the defendants failed to pay at various stages of the work.
“The scope of the work done included architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical works.”
“We had up to 30 to 40 people, we had a lot of internal back and forth.
The prosecution witness added that he got to know that CNL had paid money to Hakeem but he refused to pay.
”He initially denied that he had not been paid N34.87 million out of 264,000 dollars.
He said his company had to write CNL, but got to know they had paid everything.
“All effort to get him to pay met a brick wall and he was arrogant about it,” the witness told the court the attitude from the first defendant who had given given him works on the CNL projects.
He said EFCC had to withhold some money during its intervention.
When asked if the witness knew the defendant in the box, he replied that he had never met him but that the EFCC said the contract fees ought to be paid by Baklang Consultant Limited were traced to the 2nd defendant, Mr. Babatunde Oyenuga.
He said, “I understand through EFCC that our fees, that some monies were traced to the account of this gentleman.”
As it was time for his cross-examination, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Adesina representing the first and third defendants asked for a new date, according to him he has a pressing family enfagement, a situation which the EFCC counsel Franklin Ofoma opposed on the basis of difficulty in getting the witness to court.
Further hearing was adjourned till June 2, 2022.
Recall that a business man, Hakeem Bakare with Baklang Consultant Limited are facing an ammended six-count charge of stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.
Also charged along the duo of Bakare are Baklang Consultant Limited, Babatunde Oyenuga and Baka Investment Company Nigeria Limited.
They were specifically accused of conspiracy to steal, contrary to the provisions of section 411 and punishable under section 286(5) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Bakare and Baklang were accused of converting for their own use the sum of N38,214,822.89 property of Popham Walter Odusote Limited sometimes in the year 2015.
The particulars of the offences alluded further that the money was obtained under the pretence of execution of a contract which was known to be false from the beginning of the phony transactions.
Bakare and Baklang also got charged for allegedly converting for their use fraudulently, the sum of $74,991,50 property of Popham Walter Odusote Limited.
