Dasukigate: ONSA Has Three Accounts – Witness Tells Court

The trial of Azibaola Robert, a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan continued on Monday, July 4, 2016 with the first witness, Ibrahim Mahe, telling Justice Nnamdi Dimgba  of the Federal HIgh Court Abuja that the Special Services Office  had three accounts (Naira, US Dollar and Pound Sterling) running for the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA.
Mahe, a retired permanent secretary, special services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, told the court under cross-examination that, while he was the Permanent Secretary for some months, there was an inflow into the dollar account which he (Mahe) was a signatory to.
The PW1, who was led in evidence by Chris Uche, SAN, stated that, “there was an inflow of $600million into the dollar account.
He further disclosed that the inflow did not come from the Federation account but from NNPC.
According to him, it was from the $600million that $40million was disbursed to ‘One Plus Holdings Company’, adding that there was also other disbursement from the account.
Mahe told the court he could not recall if there was other disbursement that had to do with the pipeline security in the Niger Delta adding that his knowledge did not go beyond the memo and if there is any purpose for it, it is only the National Security Adviser that will know the purpose of the payment.
The memo and payment mandate were tendered and admitted as exhibit ASO1 and ASO2 respectively.
Another witness Olabode Farinuola, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank told the court that he had never met the first and second defendant (Azibaola and wife), but that he knows they are signatories to ‘One Plus Holdings Nigeria Limited’, the third defendant.
Testifying as PW2, Farinuola told the court that, “on January 22, 2016, the bank received a letter from EFCC on investigation activities on ‘One Plus Holdings Nigeria Limited’  domiciliary account, requesting for the account opening package, statement of account and certificate of identification, to which the bank furnished the EFCC with the information on January 29, 2016 which was duly signed.”
He also told the court that customer transaction is maintained in the computer through the use of a bank software.
Response of bank to EFCC was admitted as exhibit ASO3, Certified true copies of Account opening package as ASO4, Statement of account ASO5 and Certificate of Identification as ASO6.
The case has been adjourned to October 6, 7, 19 and 20, 2016 for continuation of trial.
Robert and his wife, Stella are standing trial on a 7-count charge of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/index.php/news/2020-dasukigate-onsa-has-three-accounts-witness-tells-court