EFCC vs Jolly Nyame Ex Taraba state governor

Below is a press release issued by
Wilson Uwujaren, the acting head of
media and publicity at the EFCC on
what transpired at the Abuja High
Court today.
***
Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, an
Accountant with the Rural
Electrification Board, Jalingo, Taraba
state, who is a key witness in the
prosecution of the former governor
of Taraba state, Rev Jolly Nyame, on
Wednesday March 28, 2012, told
Justice Adebunkola Banjoko of Abuja
High Court how 20 Zenith Bank PLC,
cheques valued over N282 million
(Two Hundred and Eighty Two
million Naira) were issued and the
money withdrawn and given to the
ex-governor in Abuja.
The ex-governor who is being
prosecuted by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
is facing a 41 count charge of
money laundering, criminal breach
of trust and gratification, totaling
one billion, three hundred and sixty
million naira (N1, 360,000,000)
At the resumed hearing of the case,
Mr. Mohammed, while testifying in
the case, said between 2003 and
2007, he was the Accountant,
Taraba state liaison office, Abuja,
where he was in charge of the
account department of the liaison
office.
Led in examination by the
prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob,
Mohammed said any time the ex-
governor is in Abuja, the permanent
Secretary, Government House,
Jalingo will call the permanent
Secretary, Liaison Office, Abuja, Mr.
Japheth Wubon and instruct him to
go to the bank and withdraw money
for the governor.
Mohammed said that Mr. Wubon
would in turn call on him to prepare
a Zenith Bank cheque which he
would later cash and take the
money to the former governor at
the lodge at T Y Danjuma Street,
Abuja. He said he is always
accompanied on the assignment
with at least two police escort and a
driver to the bank and to the lodge.
He further told the court that the
money which is either received by
the governor or a steward is always
never receipted neither is any
voucher signed by the governor
each time he receives money from
him.
Mohammed identified exhibit “M”
and “S” which are the Zenith Bank
financial statements and copies of
the cheques he signed with which
money was paid.
According to him, the money he
withdrew for the ex-governor in
2006 were: March 13, N15.5 million;
May 4, N25 million; June 16, N5
million; June 29, N25million, twenty
thousand Naira; July 21, N3 million,
October 10, N5 million, Ten
thousand Naira; October 31, N10
million; November 7, N20 million;
November 13, N25 million, Ten
thousand naira.
The 2007 withdrawals Mohammed
made for the ex-governor, according
to his testimony before Justice
Adebunkola are: January 8, N25
million; January 18, N15 million;
January 30, N25 million; February
19, N20 million; March 7, N2 million
and ten thousand naira; March 21,
N4 million; March 24, N6 million;
March 30, N20 million and May 7,
N20 million.
But the defence counsels, led by
Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, objected to
the cheques being tendered in
evidence as he maintained that the
cheques, having being drawn and
received by Zenith Bank, upon
which payments were made, cannot
be tendered by the witness. “The
witness is a staff of Taraba state
government and not an employee of
Zenith Bank. The document to be
tendered is ordinarily in possession
of Zenith Bank, how did the witness
come in possession of these
cheques? To me, it is a mystery.
This is a criminal matter and the
process by which the guilt of the
accused is arrived at must be seen
to be pure and clean. I urge your
Lordship to reject these
documents”, Fagbemi said.
But Jacobs, citing Section 147 and
148 of the Evidence Act said in his
reply that so long as “the witness
wrote and signed the cheques
during the period under scrutiny, he
has link to the exhibit. I therefore
urge my Lord to discountenance the
objection”, he said. While the
argument lasted, the judge
adjourned the case till April 30, May
24 and 25, 2012.