Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Particular Offences Courtroom in Ikeja on Wednesday adjourned the continued trial of former Governor of the Central Financial institution, Godwin Emefiele, over allegations of abuse of workplace and corruption to October 28.
The previous CBN boss was arraigned earlier than the court docket alongside one Herry Omoile on allegations of accepting gratification, accepting presents by brokers, corruption, and fraudulent property receipts.
The anti-graft company additionally accused the defendant of conferring corrupt benefit on his associates opposite to the Corrupt Practices Act 2000.
The defendants, nonetheless, pleaded not responsible to the cost.
Throughout Wednesday’s proceedings, Justice Oshodi dismissed objections raised by Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), over the try of the fifth prosecution witness, Mrs Ifeoma Ogbonnaya, to repeat from her phone the quantity during which she used to have conversations with Margaret Emefiele.
The prosecution workforce led by Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had sought the indulgence of the court docket for the witness to put in writing down the quantity during which she used to have conversations with Mrs. Emefiele on an A4 paper and was admitted into proof.
The witness, nonetheless, stated that she couldn’t keep in mind some digits of the quantity off-hand, however she may recollect it by her cell phone.
This was vehemently opposed by the 2 defendants’ counsel, who argued that the witness couldn’t get the quantity by her telephone.
However in a brief ruling, the court docket dismissed the objections and allowed the witness to put in writing out the telephone quantity from her phone.
Additionally, through the proceedings, Mrs Ogbonnaya, a Enterprise Relationship Supervisor with Zenith Financial institution Plc, instructed the court docket that Emefiele and his spouse weren’t signatories to the accounts and corporations allegedly used to acquire a number of contracts from the apex financial institution.
Ogbonnaya, who claimed that the signatories to the accounts was one Mrs. Augustina, nonetheless, insisted that Mrs. Emefiele gave her directions by telephone calls, Whatsapp chat and her official e-mail on the operations of the accounts.
She additional instructed the court docket that the transaction wouldn’t be processed till Mrs. Emefiele accredited it.
The witness stated, “I saved Mrs. Emefiele’s quantity as ‘Margo’ on my telephone and she or he has a number of numbers, however I can solely keep in mind her overseas quantity, +447941835451.
“The telephone numbers are saved on my cell machine, iPhone 11, that are for my contact, each private and official.
The witness additional instructed the court docket that directions to banks will not be oral however in writing, and earlier than she got here to court docket to present proof, she had the chance to assessment the account opening of the three corporations.
Ogbonnaya reiterated that Emefiele’s title and his spouse’s didn’t seem as shareholders or signatories to the company accounts of the businesses.
In keeping with her: “I didn’t come throughout any doc within the account opening package deal, that Mrs Emefiele is a direct helpful proprietor of the company accounts of the businesses.
“There’s a regulatory requirement on accumulating data on helpful company account house owners.
“There’s a Know Your Buyer (KYC) platform by which banks acquire data on the helpful proprietor of an account, however I used to be not concerned on the preliminary opening.
“When the previous relationship officer left, I continued the connection based mostly on what the earlier relationship officer managed them with.”
The witness additionally stated KYC was earlier than the court docket, and financing danger evaluation was a part of KYC.
She additionally confirmed to the court docket that within the working of the enterprise of banking, Zenith Banks adopted tips as regards deposit and withdrawal of funds.
She added that there was no relationship between Emefiele and the businesses.
