An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, Olamide Sadiq said that former Senate President Bukola Saraki
used Kwara state money to acquire two choice properties in Lagos.
The properties are at 17 and 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi,
Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
Saraki was former governor of Kwara State, between 2003 and
2011.
The EFCC had secured an order of interim forfeiture of the properties which was published in The Nation Newspaper, on October 25, 2019.
Subsequently, the anti-graft agency approached Justice
Mohammed Liman of a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for a final forfeiture of
the properties.
The request prompted the Court to fix a date for both
parties to call deponents and witnesses.
Testifying before the Court on November 25, 2020, Sadiq, an
operative of the EFCC, who was led-in-evidence by Nnaemeka Omewa, narrated how
investigation indicated certain infractions relating to monies withdrawn from
the state’s treasury during the administration of Saraki.
He said: “As part of investigation, we wrote to GTB
requesting for the bank statement of Dr. Bukola Saraki, and there was need to
interrogate Mr. Bayo Abdulrahman Daudu.
“In the course of interviewing him, I showed him the
statement of account along with other documents including offer letters from
the Presidential Implementation Committee for Land Property relating to the
Ikoyi properties.”
He further told the Court that findings necessitated the
extension of investigation to the accounts belonging to the state, and to
interview more persons believed to be in the know of how monies withdrawn from
the accounts of the state, were paid into the GTB account of Saraki.
He said: “There was need to interview Afeez Yusuf, who
volunteered statement.
“I asked him how many accounts the Kwara State Government
House operated, which he obliged were domiciled with Zenith Bank and Access
Bank [then Intercontinental Bank].”
Sadiq informed the Court that the banks were contacted to
furnish the EFCC with statements of account of the Government House.
He further revealed that Yusuf, who worked as a cashier at
the Government House was making withdrawals from the Access and Zenith bank
accounts during the period under investigation.
According to Sadiq, those interviewed during investigation
said that there was a directive from Saraki that the money withdrawn be given
to one Abdul Adama, a personal aide of the former governor.
“We were able to lay our hands on some of the documents, but
some had been mutilated; the documents showed several payments of money
withdrawn from the state coffers and deposited at various times into the
account of Saraki domiciled in GTB.”
“From investigation, these properties in question were
purchased with loan obtained from GTB which was paid off with money withdrawn
from the state, deposited into Saraki’s GTB account to defray the loan.”
“The same period the money were withdrawn from the
Government House account, they were deposited into the account of Saraki,” he
added.
Earlier in the course of proceedings, Omewa had also called
on Yusuf as a witness, who also corroborated his role in withdrawing money from
the Government House account based on the instruction of his boss, Isiaka
Kareem, then Controller, Finance and Account at the Government House, to be
given to persons on a list given to him by Isiaka.
About N1,160,000,000 withdrawn from the Government Account
is alleged by the EFCC to have been diverted over the period of investigation.
Saraki’s counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, while
cross-examining the witnesses, however, argued that in his personal status as
an accomplished businessman before becoming governor, Saraki was capable of acquiring
properties without government money.
The case has been adjourned till December 16, 2020 for
“final written addresses
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