How We Supplied Obiano Cash From State Security Votes – Witnesses
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
Two prosecution witnesses have disclosed how they supplied former Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, cash, both naira and dollars, through his proxies.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, the witnesses made the revelation before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
TheFact Daily notes that Obiano is facing prosecution by the EFCC on nine-count charges of embezzlement and money laundering to the tune of N4 billion.
Ugochukwu Chinedu, the third prosecution witness (PW3), and former banker between November 2, 2008 to March 2023, and who was the account manager of the Anambra State government accounts, including the state’s security vote account, told the court that he usually delivered raw cash both in naira and US dollars to Obiano, in line with instructions given him by Willie Nwokoye and Theophilus Meize, Obiano’s former principal secretary and accountant respectively, and who were signatories to the Security Vote account.
Chinedu said he usually processed transactions with the principal secretary, either daily or weekly, mostly using the instruments of cheques. He would go to his (principal secretary) office on Fridays to balance the account. “All the transactions I carried out were usually based on the instructions given to me by the account holders”, he explained.
Further in his testimony, the PW3 stated that sometime in July 2021, he was informed by the compliance officer that they had been invited by the EFCC regarding an ongoing investigation into the administration of the Anambra State Government Security Vote account.
“I was asked to provide details into some other accounts that I managed, including Udo Ventures Limited, Moment of Peace Limited, Easy Diamond Integrated Links Limited, C.I Party Ventures Nigeria Limited, Xpressive Consult Nigeria Limited among others”.
Documents relating to those accounts were marked PW3 A1 to A215 and admitted in evidence.
In the same vein, the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), Hayatu Hassan, a businessman who operates 5 Bureau de Change companies, disclosed that he made available to the Government of Anambra State under Obiano, the total sum of 222,371,000 in dollar equivalent.
He explained that sometime last year, he was invited by the EFCC Abuja Office and asked if he had any business with the Anambra State Government, to which he answered in the negative.
“Then, the person interviewing me showed me that my company Commaught International Services Limited has done some transactions with the state government. He showed me some payments in seven transactions that were done in my Commaught account.
He said that two different transactions were in February 2018, about N172, 371,000 and it was for $465,000, while the other one was in March 2018 for N50 million and it was for $135,000, making a total of $600,000 (Six Hundred Thousand US Dollars) and naira equivalent of N222, 371,000.
“I sold the dollars to Ayuba Tanko, another BDC operator. As soon as the transaction was done, I handed over the dollars to Ayuba Tanko. I didn’t know it was from the Anambra State Government,” he said.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter till October 7, 8, 9 and 10 for continuation of trial.
