The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today commenced the trial of a former Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Engineer Tuoyo Omatsuli and three others over alleged N3.6 billion fraud at a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos south west Nigeria.
The former Director of NDDC and his other co-defendants, Don Parker Properties limited, Francis Month and Building Associates Limited were arraigned before the court on the 8th of November, 2018, on a 45-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering offence.
While being led in evidence by EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, the first witness of the EFCC, Eyo Bassey Francis, a software developer and contractor told the court how he executed contracts for the NDDC as well as Akwa-Ibom, Imo and Abia state governments.
He narrated how huge sums of money was transferred into the accounts of two of his companies by Omatsuli in 2014.
“In 2014, while as a contractor with NDDC, he came in contact with Mr. Tuoyo Omatsuli,and in the course of their interaction, he told him that he run an online platform and I do a lot of imports. he also told him that because of his engagement in import, he was able to source for foreign currencies.
“He later called him on phone and told him that some money will be transferred into his account. He got initial sum of N80 million transferred into his Heritage Bank account of one of his companies, Asiladrrin Global Consulting Ltd. and converted the money into dollars as directed by Mr. Tuoyo”, he said.
Francis also disclosed that he had an inflow of N340 million in two tranches of N160 million and N180 million into the company’s account within the same period.
He said he also converted the money into dollars and “handed it over to Mr. Tuoyo; NDDC’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration as well as the NDDC’s MD”.
Speaking further, the witness said: “Sometimes in January 2015, I also got a call from the 1st defendant (Mr. Tuoyo) telling me that I will be getting a payment from a company known as Building Associate. I later got an inflow of N349, 650, 000 into the Heritage Bank account of my company, College-Pro Synergy Ltd.
“I was furnished with an account of a firm, Greenhouse Investment, owned by the Special Assistant on Finance to the then NDDC’s MD to which I transferred N100 million. The balance was converted to dollars as directed by Mr. Tuoyo”.
When asked by the prosecuting counsel whether he executed any contract for Building Associate Ltd to warrant the transfer of the fund to his company’s account, he said: “I did not execute any contract for Building Associate”
Under cross-examination by Tuoyo’s lawyer, Professor Amuda Kehinde (SAN), the witness said he did not transfer any money to the 1st defendant’s account.
He maintained that his oral testimony was part of the statement he wrote on 14th August, 2017 for the EFCC.
The presiding judge, Saliu Saidu adjourned till 11th April, 2019 for continuation of trial.
In the charge, Omatsuli was said to have procured the third and fourth accused (Momoh and Building Associates) to utilise a total sum of N3.6 billion paid by Starline Consultancy Services Ltd into an account operated by the fourth accused.
The prosecution said that they ought to have known that the said sums formed part of the proceeds of their unlawful activities which includes corruption and gratification.
The offences which alleged to have been committed between August 2014 and September 2015 contravened the provisions of Sections 15(1), 15(2), 15(3) and 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, as amended by Act No 1 of 2012.