Court adjourns Suswam’s trial till Feb. 25

Justice Okon Abang of Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday adjourned the trial of Senator Gabriel Suswam, a former Benue state governor until February 25.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sen. Suswam and the Commissioner for Finance in his administration, Omadachi Okolobia on money laundering charges to the tune of N3.1billion.

 They are alleged to have conspired and laundered the money belonging to the state government through the engagement of Abubakar Umar, a bureau de change operator and owner of Fanffash Resources.

At the resumed hearing on February 12, Umar, the fourth prosecution witness under cross-examination by Paul Erokoro (SAN), counsel for the second defendant was asked if he took the money to the former governor in his Kubwa, Abuja residence.

Umar however, insisted as earlier stated in previous hearings that: “I told the court that I took the money to Suswam in Maitama and I don’t know any statement of taking money to Suswam’s house in Kubwa.”

Further probing by Erokoro, who insisted that the witness made the statement before Justice A.R. Mohammed of a Federal High Court, Abuja, while he was still presiding over the fraud trial quoted Umar to having said: “When I saw the alert, I changed the money equivalent to dollars and took it to Suswam’s house in Kubwa.”

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Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) however, raised an objection to the line of questioning by Erokoro, insisting that the witness never said what Erokoro alluded to the witness before Justice Mohammed.

“The entire statement is not the testimony of the witness before Justice Mohammed,” Jacobs argued.

Erokoro replied by asserting that he merely quoted from the records of the court proceedings under Justice Mohammed, arguing further that it can only have been the witness being quoted by the former trial judge.

He thus urged the court to “allow the question as the court is bound by the printed words in the records of proceedings which is presumed to be correct.”

Justice Abang thereafter, allowed the question in the interest of justice, stating that he cannot make findings on issues arising from a document that was not before the court.

In an attempt to further make clarifications, Umar said: “All I told Justice Mohammed is that I took the money to Government House in Maitama and not Kubwa.

“Yes, I know I gave different versions of how I delivered the money, but it wasn’t any of the defendants and nobody told me about Kubwa and I know I took the money to Maitama.”

Erokoro thereafter, tendered the certified true copies of the records of proceedings before Justice Mohammed, which was admitted in evidence.

The case was consequently, adjourned till February 25 and 26, March 24 and 26 respectively.