Abuse of Office: no document link Emefiele and his wife to alleged offence

Godwin Emefiele.

Akin Kuponiyi

      As the trial of the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele gets under way yesterday, a prosecution witness, John Ogah, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court that none of the documents produced in court linked the former Apex Bank boss and his wife to three companies alleged to have been used in siphoning money for them.

     Ogah who was a former secretary to Emefiele for 31 years told the court that  there was nothing in the documents he tendered while in the EFCC custody that linked Emefiele and his wife to the three companies, namely Limelight, Comec, and Answin Resources Limited.

    John Ogah, the 6th Prosecution Witness said that he did not submit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC any share beneficial documents linking either Mrs. Magret Emefiele or her husband with three companies namely Limelight, Comec, and Answin Resources Limited alleged to have been used for money laundering.

“I have never come across any document relating to beneficial ownership of the 3 companies, apart from documents given to me by my boss.

“In the course of my interaction with EFCC, I did not see any document of beneficial owner of Emefiele in the three companies. Also, operatives of EFCC also did not produce any document linking Emefiele to the companies.

“Concerning Mrs Magret Emefiele, I did not produce any share beneficial documents linking her to the three companies, neither did the operatives of EFCC produce any document relating to the beneficial ownership of the three companies.

“I have never come across any document relating to beneficial ownership of the three companies, apart from documents given to me by my boss”, he stated.

   Ogah further told the court that it was one Opeyemi Olujimi, former accountant of the companies that told him, that Mrs Emefiele owns  the companies.

He  was aware that at all times when he was in CBN,  he was a public servant, and at the same  time he engaged in business either alone or in partnership with somebody.

The witness said he could not remember he engage in partnership with anybody, except his wife who asked him to buy clothes.

“I can’t remember telling EFCC that I engaged in any business while I was in CBN. I knew that I was not supposed to be, but some are. These are framing, private business with my wife”.

Confronted with his extra-judicial statements  made on February 26, which he read to the hearing of the court, the witness said “While working as public officers at CBN I was also in business of forex transaction, with one Eze. I was sharing in the gains with Eze in forex  transaction. I was referring to Eze for anybody who needed forex.

“I also facilitated that forex transaction carried out with Eze. This happened because I was in CBN.

“I have not come in contact that Emefiele is the Director or share holder in Limelight, Commet or Answery, not a signatory. Neither have I come in contact that Emefiele has shareholder meeting. I have never come across any document showing Mrs Magret Emefiele is a director of any of directors, participating in the minutes of board of directors of the three companies

“I was detained by EFCC for 11 days in connection with this case.

I started working as Secretary with Emefiele as far back as 31 years (1993) and have seen his signature and familiar with it. But on these documents I can’t identify his signature. It’s not true that all those documents that I handed over to courts are not given to me by Emefiele, but by Eze”

Emefiele is standing trial for alleged abuse of office and money laundering to the tune of $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.

The EFCC had, on 8 April, arraigned the ex-CBN governor on 23 counts bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratifications, corrupt demand, receiving property fraudulently obtained, and conferring corrupt advantage.

     One Omoile alongside Emefiele was arraigned before the court on charge bordering on acceptance of gifts by agents.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Emefiele is currently standing trial before an Ikeja high court for money laundering offences