Hearing of the alleged case of $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud levelled against the embattled former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele continued before a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.
The ex-CBN governor is standing trial along with Henry Omoile before Justice Rahman Oshodi.
The proceedings began with a request made by Mr. Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), a defence counsel to Godwin Emefiele’s co-defendant.
Defence to recall first witness over Godwin Emefiele
At the continuation of trial, the counsel informed the court of a motion on notice dated May 6 and applied to the court to recall the first prosecution witness, Monday Osazuwa, a senior supervisor at the CBN.
CASEFILE had reported that Osazuwa, on April 12 testified how the first defendant on different occasions, directed him to collect three million dollars cash in tranches.
The judge granted the application of the second defence counsel to recall the prosecution witness, following no objection from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
Justice Oshodi said: “In the motion on notice dated May 6 and filed on May 7, 2024, the second defence counsel seeks an order to recall the first Prosecution Witness, PW1.
“The second defence counsel seeks to further cross-examine PW1 on matters listed in paragraph 4(d) on the affidavit in support of the application.
“The recall was also premised on nine grounds and the six paragraph affidavits was filed in support of the application and equally is a written address filed on May 7.
“The prosecution did not not file a rebuttal and I hereby grant the application.”
I had no communication with Godwin Emefiele -Contractor
Subsequently, the EFCC counsel prayed the court for a leave to further examine a contractor, Mr. Victor Onyejiuwa, the Managing Director, The Source Computers Limited, who had started his evidence-in-chief on May 9 and the leave was granted by the court.
The fourth witness in his continuation of his examination in chief, told the court that there was an error in his extra judicial statement made at the EFCC’s office regarding the location where the $600,000 was given to the second prosecution witness, a former Director of Information Technology of CBN, Mr. John Ayoh.
He claimed that the sum of $400,000 was given to Ayoh in Lagos while $200,000 was given to him in Abuja.
Under cross-examination by Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), the witness said he wrote the statement in the presence of his lawyer, Mr. Olukayode Enitan (SAN) but he was aware of the error later.
Mr. Victor confirmed to the court that there were only two errors in his statement and that he was released to his lawyer after he wrote the extra judicial statement.
According to him, “Apart from the two errors, there are no other errors in my statement but there are omissions because I wrote 2014 to 2018 instead of 2014 to 2020.
“As a businessman of over two decades of experience, I know I have a civic duty not to give bribe to anybody and I know that I have duties to report anyone that offers bribe but I did not report because I was under serious pressure from my partners to pay them.
“I was paid the money in December 2018 and upon receiving the money, my partners stopped putting pressure on me.
“Although between 2018 and 2024 when the pressure had gone, I did not report the issue of bribe to EFCC and my primary reason for being here is not for the recovery of my money.”
The witness also posited that he viewed the manner in which he was made to part with bribe due to pressure from staff of the CBN management as “extortion”.
The witness further informed the court his partners were not stakeholders in his company but were Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEM.
He also confirmed he did not write in his extra judicial statement that his partners pressured him but he said it in his evidence-in-chief.
The witness also stated that he had no communication with Emefiele.
Justice Oshodi granted interim bail to the Emefiele and his co-defendant after his counsel prayed the court for ample time to perfect the bail conditions.
Meanwhile, the judge adjourned further hearing till July 9 and 10, 2024.
