During the ongoing trial of Godwin Emefiele, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who is facing charges of abuse of office and an alleged $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented bundles of documents before the court on Thursday.
Rotimi Oyedepo, the EFCC counsel, submitted the bundles of documents through Clement Ngolu, a compliance officer at Zenith Bank, the third prosecution witness.
The admission of the documents as evidence proceeded smoothly as there were no objections raised by the defense counsels, Olalekan Ojo and Adeyinka Kotoye.
Justice Rahman Oshodi accepted the original copies of the Zenith Bank account opening package and the statement of account of Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd. as evidence, which were provided to the EFCC.
Regarding the documents dated March 2024, Oshodi declared, “I admit the original certified copy of the bundles of documents, including the account opening package and statement of accounts, into evidence and they are marked as Exhibit A.”
Ngolu explained in his testimony that his department ensured compliance with banking policies and regulations by responding to regulators and law enforcement agencies such as the EFCC, Nigeria Police, ICPC, and NSCDC.
He mentioned that in 2014, the EFCC requested statements of accounts for Limelight and two other accounts, which were duly provided by the bank staff and generated through the company’s computer system.
The defense chose not to cross-examine the witness at this time.
In a separate development, during the cross-examination, former CBN Director of Information Technology, John Ayoh, disclosed a confrontation with Emefiele when asked to engage in unethical behavior.
Ayoh, who admitted being marginalized by the embattled governor, shared that this situation led to a strained relationship between them.
Despite feeling alienated from Emefiele, Ayoh acknowledged signing contract letters with vendors as part of his duties.
Furthermore, a contractor testified in court that he faced pressure from the apex bank management to pay $600,000 for a contract he had completed.