A
former staff of the defunct All States Trust Bank, Adonye Roberts, on June 17,
2016 told a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, Abuja, that a
former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, illegally operated an account
with the bank in the name of Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, ERV, with the aim of
concealing his identity as the owner of the account.
Dariye is being prosecuted by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice Adebukola
Banjoko, on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of
funds. He is alleged to have siphoned the state’s ecological fund to the tune
of N1.16 billion, diverting part of it to ERV – an unregistered company run by
him and in whose name he maintained a “private banking” account with ASTB.
Roberts who told the court that he
is a 1989 graduate of Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, USA, admitted
that Dariye did not fulfil all the requirements needed for the operation of a
“private banking” account.
Under cross-examination by defence
counsel, G. S. Pwul, SAN, Roberts, the first witness called by the defence,
explained that “private banking” was a special product for businessmen who do
not have the time to go to the banking hall to transact their business.
“It’s a banking product mainly for
high-networth customers, persons like captains of industry, governors,” he
said.
The witness, who was literally put
on the hot seat, by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, however, admitted
that though it was legitimate to run a private bank account, Dariye, did not comply
with the bank’s rules as regards opening and running such an account.
Identifying the various account
opening documents, which had been admitted by the court as exhibits, Roberts
told the court that though the account was opened in the name of a company,
“the information on the documents indicate that an individual was the one
operating it”.
According to him, on the forms for
opening the account for Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, it was indicated that the
occupation of the account holder was “businessman”, the employer was “self”,
and there was no traceable contact address.
Roberts admitted that the signature
on the form was that of Dariye, and that it had no photo of him, and lacked all
the necessary documents needed for the operation of a “private banking”
account, or an account for a company. He added that the necessary sections to
have been signed by the account officer were vacant, and that nothing was
stated in the reference section.
“The authorised signature was that
of Joshua Dariye and it was only signed in the presence of A. A. Odesa as
witness,” he said.
Jacobs challenged Roberts that the
intention was to conceal the identity of the owner of the account, with the
intention of using it for fraudulent transactions, and “it is wrong for a bank
not to have a true identity of its customer”.
Pwul raised an objection to the
question, but he was overruled by Justice Banjoko, who noted that the question
to Roberts, was put to him based on his professional experience as a banker.
Admitting that “it is wrong”,
Roberts also told the court that he assisted Dariye to source for foreign
currencies, as a staff of the Abuja branch of ASTB, even though the former
governor did not have a domiciliary account with the bank.
Roberts further identified a Central
Bank of Nigeria, CBN, cheque of N1.162 billion meant for the Plateau State’s
ecological fund, and a handwritten letter signed by Dariye, instructing the
management of ASTB to disburse the funds into the accounts of Ebenezer Retnan
Ventures, Pinnacle Communications Limited, Union Homes, Plateau State
government and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP South West.
Justice Banjoko, thereafter,
adjourned to June 27, 2016 for the defence to present its other witnesses.
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