A former secretary in the office of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), John Ogah, has revealed how his former boss, Godwin Emefiele, directed him to transfer funds to a close relative.
While testifying yesterday in
an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Ogah clarified that Emefiele and his spouse,
Margaret, were not shareholders in three companies purportedly owned by them.
The witness provided this
information during cross-examination as the trial of Emefiele and one Henry
Omoile for alleged abuse of office and money laundering continued.
Ogah explained further on
Wednesday that the transfers were made from three companies: Comec, Limelight, and
Amswin Resources Limited.
However, during
cross-examination by Emefiele’s attorney, Olakekan Ojo, SAN, the witness
clarified that neither Emefiele nor his wife, Margaret, held shares in the
three companies in question.
“The first defendant and his
wife were not shareholders in the three companies linked to them,” he said.
Ogah provided the court with his
interpretation of beneficial ownership of shares, emphasizing that it was
consistently documented.
However, he admitted to the
court that he did not present any documentation proving their status as shareholders
in the three companies.
The witness indicated that he
maintained records during his tenure as secretary to the former CBN governor,
noting that these records were intended for reference purposes.
When questioned about whether
he had shared the records with the EFCC while in custody, he stated that he had
not shown any documents to the EFCC.
Additionally, the witness
confirmed that there was no written correspondence between him and Emefiele,
according to the information he provided to the EFCC.
He mentioned that approximately
99 percent of the instructions he received from Emefiele were not documented in
writing.
During cross-examination by the
second defence lead counsel, Kazeem Gbadamosi, SAN, the witness acknowledged
that he is both a director and a shareholder of a construction company.
“The company has account with
Zenith Bank but I am not a signatory to it. My name is not on the mandate form
when the account was opened,” he said.
Post a Comment