The trial of a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi and three others for an alleged N8.5billion fraud before Justice Ayokunle Faaji of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos continued on Tuesday, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presenting its seventh witness.
Akpobolokemi is standing trial alongside Major-General Emmanuel Atewe (rtd.), a former Commander of the Joint Military Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, and two other staff of the agency, Kime Engozu and Josphine Otuaga.
The defendants are standing trial on an amended 22-count charge bordering on money laundering.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, Kime Engozu, and Josphine Otuaga sometimes in 2014, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Court, with intent to defraud, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: conversion of the sum of N8,537,586,798.58 property of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded “not guilty” to the offence, thereby prompting the commencement of their trial.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo , presented the seventh prosecution witness, (PW7), Moses Ngbekan, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Plc.
While being led in evidence by Oyedepo, the witness confirmed that the EFCC and Zenith Bank Plc had shared correspondences with respect to the case.
Ngbekan further identified some exhibits before the Court, including the account opening package, statements of account and the instruments of transaction used to perpetrate the alleged crime, stating that the documents emanated from Zenith Bank Plc.
The case has been adjourned till Wednesday for continuation of trial.
