EFCC Apologises to Dasuki’s Aide, Ashinze
At resumed trial, witness speaks on how Ex-NSA’s aide, others received N5.6bn
After being lambasted by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court Abuja on March 21, 2017, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday issued a statement to clear the air over its misleading information on alleged funds misappropriated in Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and for wrongly referring to Colonel Nicholas Ashinze as retired army colonel.
The last two paragraphs of the statement was a response to the court’s order of March 21, 2017 directing EFCC to retract its previous statement.
Ashinze, a colonel, is standing trial alongside an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl, Edidiong Idiong and Sagir Mohammed, on a 13-count charge of corruption and money laundering to the tune of N5.6billion.
The last two paragraphs of the EFCC statement stated: “At the resumed hearing on March 21, the defence brought to the notice of court, the press release of March 8 by the EFCC where the amount involved in the case was given as N38.6billion and the first defendant, Ashinze addressed as retired colonel. Upon this observation the court ordered the commission to publish a retraction and adjourned to April 13.
“The commission states that the error in figure was a mix-up in the body of the statement as the headline reflected the correct information. The reference to Ashinze as retired is regretted. We have since discovered that he is a serving colonel in the Nigerian Army.”
However, Hassan Seidu, an EFCC witness in the ongoing trial of Ashinze, a former aide to ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on March 7, 2017 told Justice Gabrial Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja how Ashinze and others got N5.6billion from the. ONSA.
Seidu, who testified as the first witness said he was part of the team that conducted search in Ashinze’s house, located at No. 67 Vision Court Estate, Apo, Abuja.
Apart from Ashinze, others standing trial with him are an Austrian, Wolfgang Reinl, Edidiong Idiong and Sagir Mohammed.
Other defendants in the case are five companies – Geonel Integrated Services Limited, Unity Continental Nigeria Limited, Helpline Organisation, Vibrant Resource Limited and Sologic Integrated Service Limited.
The PW1 said on December 23, 2015, Ashinze was brought to their office for interview which he was asked if he would be able to respond to allegations of money laundering leveled against him.
Seidu said after accepting, Ashinze’s statement was recorded, but it was his colleague, Mohammed Goje, who administered the cautionary word to him where he signed and voluntarily wrote his statement.
He further said a search was conducted at his (Ashinze) house at Apo where some items were recovered.
The admissibility of the search warrant which Ofem Uket, counsel to EFCC, sought to tender as evidence was objected to by Ashinze’s counsel, L. S. Nwoye, who argued that it had no date.
Nwoye cited Section 147 of Administrative of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which stated that a document must have date on it for identification.
Justice Kolawale, in a bench ruling, held that the issues raised were omissions of details.
He overruled the objection and admitted the search warrant in evidence as Exhibit 2.
He also admitted items recovered which are one black diary, one blue notebook and one page of unsigned document, written in red ink dated April 17, 2014 in evidence as Exhibits 2a, b and c respectively.
Seidu also said the one page of unsigned document written in red ink (Exhibit 2c) contained list of five companies, their banks and account numbers of each of the company with amount that has been transferred to them.