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| THE EFCC BOSS, MAGUN |
The trial of Gabriel Suswan, a former governor
of Benue State and his Commissioner of Finance, Okolobia Okpanachi, continued
on Monday, February 15, 2016, with a prosecution witness, Brijid Shiedie,
managing director and chief executive officer, Benue Investment and Property Company
Limited, telling Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja, how
the sum of N1bn was allegedly paid to Elixir Security Limited, after a meeting
with Okpanachi.
Suswan and Okolobia are facing a nine-count
charge bordering on diversion of N3.1 billion during his tenure as governor.
At the resumed hearing today, Shiedu, who was
led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, further told the
court that Elixir was invited by the state government to carry out a
check of where the state’s shares were domiciled and consolidate them in one
stock- broking firm.
She added that the state government consequently
needed BIPCL, as the custodian of the shares, to sign, in order to enable
Elixir achieve the mandate of consolidating the shares.
She also told the court that both Suswan and
Okpanachi directed BIPCL to pay Elixir the proceeds of Benue State shares, into
two accounts, provided by the ministry of finance letter head.
However, she said that no specific amount was
indicated in the correspondence.
‘‘When Elixir called me to find out what was to
be paid into each of the accounts, I said that since the money was going to the
Benue State government, a request should be forwarded to the Commissioner of
Finance. It was communicated on the Company's letter head,’’ Shiedie explained.
The court had earlier admitted in evidence,
the certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation of BIPCL from the Corporate Affairs
Commission.
The defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, asked
for an adjournment to enable him cross-examine the witness, saying she is
crucial to the case.
Consequently, the case was adjourned to February
16, 2016.
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