The
former Secretary, Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task
Force, PCFATF, Jalal Arabi, on April 14, 2016 told a Federal Capital
Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that Stephen Oronsaye
concealed the identity of the Access Bank account he opened in the name
of the committee.
Oronsaye,
a former Chairman of the PCFATF is being prosecuted by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a two-count charge bordering on
abuse of office and obtaining by false pretence before Justice Olasumbo
Goodluck.
The
former Head of Service, HoS, is alleged to have used the account to
receive N190 million, part of a N240million grant for the committee,
received from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and converted same for
personal use.
Arabi,
who testified as the third prosecution witness, further told the court
that the only legitimate account of the committee was domiciled in
Zenith Bank.
Led
in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket, he added that the
beneficiaries of a total sum of N63 million in the Access Bank account,
were not members of the committee neither did they perform any task for
the committee or on its behalf.
“The committee
opened an account with Zenith Bank, and there are two signatories,
myself as the secretary, and Oronsaye as the chairman,” he said. “Since
2009 till date, the committee only maintained the Zenith Bank account
and we had only three inflows into it.”
He further told the
court that he only got to know about the existence of the Access Bank
account in July 2015 when he was summoned by the EFCC to answer
questions concerning it.
Earlier during the
court proceeding, Olubunmi Ojoko, the second prosecution witness, and a
staff of Access Bank told the court that Orosanye issued cheques to
various beneficiaries to withdraw from the said Access Bank account.
Justice Goodluck has fixed May 19 and 20 2016 for continuation of trial.
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