A
witness has revealed before a Federal High Court how a former Head of
Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye secretly operated a bank account he used
to steal N190 million belonging to the Federal Government.
Former Head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye
A witness has revealed before a Federal Capital Territory High
Court in Maitama, Abuja, how a former Head of Service, Mr. Stephen
Oronsaye, defrauded the Federal Government the sum of N190m using a fake
account.
Oronsaye who was arraigned on Tuesday by The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission committed the crime on June 12, 2013 and December 30,
2014 using his position as the then Chairman of the Presidential
Committee on Financial Action Task Force.
Giving evidence, EFCC’s first prosecution witness, Ngunnan Kakwagh,
who was led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. O Uket, began
her testimony, shortly after Oronsaye pleaded not guilty to the
charges, on Tuesday.
Kakwagh alleged that the ex-Head of Service secretly operated an
Access Bank account in the name of the presidential committee on FATF
between 2012 and 2014 and received payments from the Central Bank of
Nigeria through the account without the knowledge of other members of
the committee.
According to her, Oronsaye received a total of N240m from the CBN
through the account, and that Oronsaye also made “five structured
payments” of N9m each, making a total of N45m, into the account in one
day in September 2013.
She said from a total sum fo N285m of which N240m was paid into the
account by the CBN, Oronsaye invested N190m in a fixed deposit, then
later converted the money for personal use.
Kakwagh, an EFCC operative and member of the anti-graft agency’s
team that investigated the petition leading the charges filed against
Oronsaye, said the accused, as the sole-signatory to the account, also
issued a number cheques to various individuals and in his name to make
withdrawals from the account.
Under cross-examination by the lead defence counsel, Mr. Joe Agi,
the witness said she did not make an enquiry from the offce of the AGF
if the Zenith Bank account was known to it.
Having listened to the argument, the trial judge, Justice Olasumbo
Goodluck granted bail to Oronsaye in the sum of N10m with two sureties
in the sum of N5m each after dismissing objection by the EFCC to
Oronsaye's bail application.
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