$40m fraud: I have no business transaction with Jonathan’s cousin, firm- Witness
A witness in the ongoing trial of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s cousin, Azibaola Robert and wife, Stella, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, has denied having any business transactions with the defendants.
Ekuwem, a leading information technology expert in Nigeria and owner of Teledom International Limited, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that he neither knew Azibaola Robert and his wife, Stella, nor the firm, Oneplus that was awarded the $40 million contract by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Led in evidence by the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, who asked him whether he knew the defendants and the company the witness answered in the negative: “I do not know anyone of them. And I have never, ever had any foreign exchange transaction with the defendants.”
“On 17 Dec 2014 Teledom received $330,000 into its Zenith Bank account from Axxent Consulting, a forex dealer, who is Teledom’s representative in Abuja.
“Axxent got a contract from NASS to supply units of Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS).
“AXXENT sourced got dollars and PSID into Teledom’s account. So I do not know the Naira equivalent of the dollar.
“From the nature of our business, it is not strange to me for us to do foreign exchange transaction. We source and acquire dollars to buy goods.”
But in his testimony, the tenth prosecution witness, Mr. David Nkpe, said he was part of the team that investigated the petition against Oneplus that it got contract from the ONSA but did not execute it after being paid.
But Robert’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN) objected to the testimony of the tenth witness, a development that resulted in a prolonged argument.
But the witness later pleaded with Justice Nnamdi Dimgba to give him permission to leave for another legal matter in a nearby court.
The judge agreed and adjourned the matter to Friday for continuation.
Jonathan’s cousin and his wife are facing a nine-count charge bordering on alleged $40million contract scam.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/113/2016, the anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants received a $40million contract from the detained former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
It alleged that they conspired “to commit an illegal act to wit: money laundering of the sum of $40million transferred to the domiciliary account of One Plus Holdings Nigeria Limited with Zenith Bank, Account No. 5070365750 from the account of ONSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria upon a mandate Ref. No. 128/S.5LX/139 purporting to be for the supply of Tactical Communication Kits for Special Services and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Money Laundering( Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act”.
The Daily Times recalls that Azibaola was arrested on March 23, 2016, and subsequently arraigned before the high court after he had spent 90 days in EFCC custody.
