By Dipo Awojobi – Stella George, a witness in the ongoing trial of former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday said there was an inflow of N300 million from the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA).
George told Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja that, N300million (three hundred million naira) was paid into the account of BAM Projects and Properties Limited owned by Haliru Bello Mohammed, the accused.
The Witness, a banker with Sterling Bank, while being led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, stated that, on March 18, 2015 a sum of N137, 200,000 ( one hundred and thirty seven million, two hundred thousand naira) was transferred to Kumu Golo Limited and another transfer of N178,800,000 (one hundred and seventy eight million, eight hundred thousand naira) was made to North Polo Global Services same day.
According to her, the Certified True Copies (CTC) of account opening package, mandate card and statement of account from January 2015 to date of BAM Projects and Property Limited, as well as copies of instruments used for inflow and outflow from the account were all made available to EFCC on request.
Under cross examination by the defence counsel, Solomon Umoh, SAN, George said that, although she was obliged to know her customers especially the account owner, she did not know anything about the companies who received the money under reference.
The former PDP chief is being prosecuted alongside his son, Bello Abba Mohammed, on a 4-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
It would be recalled that, the first prosecution witness (PW1) Rouqayya Ibrahim, an operative of the Commission, had in his evidence on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 stated that a payment of N300m was made in two tranches to the accused company’s account of BAM Projects and Properties Limited from the funds meant for the procurement of arms through the office of the former National Security Adviser, NSA.
The case has been adjourned to May 18, 2016 for continuation of trial.
