How N3.2b Belonging To Abia State Was Paid To Private Company- Witness
A prosecution witness in the on- going trial of former Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday, told a Federal High Court in Lagos that six government cheques were issued in favour of a private company, New Republic Newspapers, without evidence of any job done.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Yakubu Braimoh, also tendered several documents, which were all admitted in evidence.
The EFCC is prosecuting Kalu, his Commissioner for Finance, Udeogu, and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited on an amended 34 count charge of N3.2 billion fraud.
They were alleged to have used the following banks, Manny Bank, Spring Bank Plc,( now Heritage Bank), the defunct Standard Trust Bank, now United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and Fin Land Bank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to perpetrate the alleged fraud.
They however all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Braimoh, who is an Internal Control Officer with Guarantee Trust Bank when the alleged fraud took place while being led in evidence-in chief by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said that sometimes in 2007, the commission wrote the bank requesting for documents relating to the accounts of Slok Nigeria Limited, a company owned by Kalu.
Braimoh added that GTBank forwarded all necessary documents relating to the company to the commission, which, he said, includes, account opening packages and other instruments.
He confirmed that in the course of the investigation by the anti-graft agency, several correspondences took place between the commission and the bank, while also admitting that he made a statement to the EFCC.
The witness also identified six of the instruments which are drafts issued in favour of New Republic Newspapers.
Earlier, two of the defence counsel, Chief Solomon Akume (SAN) for Udeh Jones and C.C Nwofo for Slok Nigeria Limited opposed the admissibility of the documents but they were overruled by the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
