The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on June 28, 2016 presented two more witnesses at the continuation of the trial within a trial, in a N2 billion fraud case involving a former Head of Service, HoS, to the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, and Osarenkhoe Afe, managing director of Federick Hamilton Global Services Limited.

They are charged along with Cluster Logistic Limited; Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, and Drew Investment & Construction Company Limited, before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Oluwole Aladedoye, counsel representing Afe, had on June 14, 2016 argued that the statement obtained from his client was obtained through “oppression”, thus necessitating a trial within a trial.

Mustapha Gadanya, manager, Compliance Investigation with Standard Chartered Bank Plc, second prosecution witness, who until September 2015 worked as an EFCC operative in the agency’s Pension Fraud Team, told the court that investigations into alleged pension fraud linked to the office of the HoS, had necessitated the need to invite Afe to the EFCC office for questioning.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, A. O. Atolagbe, Gadanya, explained that findings in the course of investigations, showed that certain payments were made to Afe’s company, and he was needed to make clarifications on the payments.

“In the course of investigations, Frederick Hamilton Global Services Limited featured, and because he was listed as the director of the company, I was asked to invite him for questioning,” Gadanya said.

Gadanya added that on February 24, 2011, he had gone to Afe’s house located in the Utako/Jabi axis of Abuja, and that he voluntarily followed them to the EFCC headquarters, Abuja.

“After a brief discussion with him and Mr. Wakili Mohammed, then head of the Economic Governance Unit, a directive was given to execute a search warrant on his house and to record his statement,” he said.

He further told the court that based on the information unearthed during investigations, an instruction was given that Afe be kept in EFCC custody, but he was later granted bail.

“He couldn’t fulfil the bail conditions and so he was detained, but the following day, there was a kind of leniency towards him, so he was released to one John Okpara and one Cynthia, a lady,” he said, adding that normally the bail bond was supposed to be nothing less than N300 million, but that he was released to Okpara, who signed a bail bond of N100 million.

Nuruddeen Sulaiman, the EFCC operative who carried out the search on Afe’s house, also told the court that indeed, based on the search warrant, “we went to his house and recovered some items, a laptop, iPad, a brown envelope containing documents from the office of the Head of Service, Zenith Bank cheque book, letter-headed papers belonging to his company and some other items”.

Justice Kolawole, thereafter adjourned the trial within a trial, tentatively to July 7, 2016 (putting in mind the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr), and definitely to October 4, 2016 for continuation of hearing.

Media and Publicity
28 June, 2016