SAN FRANCISCO, March 13, (THEWILL) – The immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been accused by an official of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr Timothy Olaobaju, of stashing the sum of $115,010,000 in the bank with subsequent instruction that the money be changed into naira and distributed among select individuals.
The banker listed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Dele Belgore; and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, as some of the beneficiaries, adding that they who both received N450m.
He made these allegations on Monday when he appeared as a prosecution witness at the Federal High Court in Lagos where Belgore and Sulaiman are being tried on a five-count money laundering charge filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Charged alongside the SAN and the ex-minister, in the suit bothering on N450m, is Alison-Madueke, who is said to “still be at large”.
Upon their arraignment on Monday on an amended charge which included the name of Alison-Madueke, Belgore and Sulaiman pleaded not guilty to the five charges.
Immediately after the defendants’ plea, trial commenced with the EFCC prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, leading Olaobaju in evidence as its first witness.
The witness then narrated, “Sometime in April 2014, our MD, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, gave a directive that certain companies and individuals would pay into an account with our bank some amounts of money. The purpose of the payment was not disclosed.
“Over the period, thereafter, some amounts were paid into the account. The funds were deposited in dollar. The total sum was $115,010,000.
“On the 27th of March, 2015, there was an instruction from the former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, through our MD, that the fund in the account should be converted to naira and paid to certain individuals of which the list of beneficiaries was sent to our MD and the amount to be paid to them in naira.
“The funds were paid according to Alison-Madueke’s instructions.
“On the list sent to our branch, the names of the defendants (Belgore and Sulaiman) were on that list because the money was paid in about 36 states of the federation.
“The defendants are not customers of our bank.
“The instruction was that the sum of N450m should be paid to Mr Dele Belgore (SAN) and Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.
“They both received the money and they filled the Receipt of Payment as evidence of receipt of the money and acknowledgement of same.”
Olaobaju said Belgore and Sulaiman signed separate Receipts of Payment for the same N450m on March 26, 2015.
The court admitted both Receipts of Payment in evidence and marked them as Exhibits 1 and 1A.
Asked by the prosecutor whether any cheque was issued in favour of Belgore and Sulaiman in respect of the fund, the witness answered in the negative.
Asked whether the N450m was credited into any account, the witness said, “To my knowledge, the N450m was not credited into any account”.
For the cross-examination of the witness, Belgore’s lawyer, Chief Ebun Shofunde SAN asked for an adjournment, stating that most of what the witness said on Monday were not in the proof of evidence front-loaded and served on the defence counsel.
Sulaiman’s lawyer, Mr Olatunji Ayanlaja SAN, aligned himself with Shofunde, even as the prosecutor said he would grudgingly concede to an adjournment till Tuesday in view of his respect for the defence counsel.
Consequent upon this, the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa adjourned the matter till Tuesday for further proceedings.
