The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday closed its case in the trial of a former acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Calistus Obi, charged with N136m fraud.

Obi is standing trial before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court in Lagos.

He is being prosecuted alongside Alu Dismas, who was a former personal assistant to an ex-DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired between themselves on August 5, 2015 to convert N136m belonging to NIMASA to their own.

The offence is said to be contrary to sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, the EFCC, through its prosecutor, Mr. Nkereuwem Anana, closed its case after the cross-examination of its eighth witness, Mr. Chukwuma Orji, by the defence counsel.

While being cross-examined by the first defence counsel, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), Orji, an EFCC investigator, told the court that he traced part of the allegedly stolen funds to the defendants.

Referring the witness to counts one to four of the charge, Akoni asked if any part of the N111m mentioned therein was traced to the account of the first accused.

Orji answered, “I traced the monies to the two accused in the dock.”

The witness claimed that it was a bureau de change operator that handed the money to Dismas who, in turn, handed the money to Obi.

Asked whether the EFCC had any documentary evidence to back the claim, Orji replied, “My Lord, Exhibit T8 clearly shows how the said amount of money left NIMASA under the instruction of the accused.”

He told Justice Olatoregun that Obi had admitted giving an oral instruction to that effect in his statement to the EFCC.

When asked by Akoni whether he knew any member of NIMASA’s Committee on Intelligence, Orji said he knew the chairman of the committee, Captain Bala Agaba, who, he said, had also been facing criminal charges before other courts.

When asked by the second defence counsel, Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN), whether Obi showed any evidence that he acted on the instruction of Akpobolokemi, Orji said the EFCC had video evidence to that effect.

He, however, told the court that Dismas was not a signatory to the account of NIMASA’s Committee on Intelligence.

After the cross-examination, the EFCC prosecutor, Anana, informed the court that he had no more witness to call and would be closing his case.

In response, Akoni said he intended to file a ‘no case submission’ in response to the charge.

On his own part, Nwobike said he would review the evidences already given and decide whether he would also file a ‘no case submission’.

After listening to the parties, Justice Olatoregun said she would give the defence counsel one month to decide on their response and adjourned further proceedings till December 15, 2016.