EFCC vs Doyin Okupe: What happened in court on Tuesday

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned the trial of a former Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, to June 26, 2019, after cross examination of the fifth witness, Mr. Remigus Ugor, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank PLC.

Okupe is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 59-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N702, 000,000 (Seven Hundred and Two Million Naira) only.

At the resumed hearing, Remigus Ugor, while being cross examined by Okupe’s Counsel, Akinlabi Akinbade, told the court that Okupe is a signatory to the two accounts he tendered as evidence but that he cannot tell, if the defendant has other bank accounts.

While being cross examined by the defense Counsel to Value Trust Investment Ltd, Ugor told the court that he does not know the purpose for which the payment was made or what it was paid for, adding that it’s only the bank customers that know the reason for the deposits made to the banks.

The witness also released different payments made from Value Trust Investment Ltd; to various individuals and companies, which included a cheque of N3million to Gbenga Arulegba of ‘Focus Nigeria’ a programme ran on African Independent Television, AIT, on June 18, 2013, and another N2,200,000 to Aruleba on August 6, 2012.

According to Ugor, there was a payment of N500, 000, sometime in 2013, to one Suleiman Aledeh, another N12million transfer to Channels Incorporated Ltd on November 4, 2014, and another sum of N2, 150,000 payments to one Charles Iorhemba of Nigeria Television Authority, NTA.

Ugor also told the court that the bank can open a company account without a SCUML’s certificate depending on the nature of the company. While being cross-examined by the defense counsel to Abrahams telecoms Ltd, Ezenwa Ifegbulam, on whether the deposit of N35, 050,000, on October 2014, made to Abraham Telecoms was a suspicious or fraudulent transactions, Ugor told the court that he cannot say if it was fraudulent or not, adding that he knows the bank reports transactions above N10million to supervisory bodies.

The judge adjourned the case to June 26 and 28, 2019 for continuation of trial.