7th May, 2023
By Akin Kuponiyi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has closed its case in a £2.6 billion alleged fraud charge slammed on an oil firm, Petro Union Oil and Gas Limited, a consultant to the company and three of its directors.
The Consultant is Abayomi Kukoyi (Trading under the name and style of Gladstone Kukoyi & Associates), while the company’s directors on trial are Prince Kingsley Okpala, Prince Chidi Okpalaeze and Prince Emmanuel Okpalaeze.
While closing its case before Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, the anti-graft agency called its last witness, Nathaniel John Webb, a senior investigative officer at the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom.
Giving his evidence before the court, Detective Sergeant Webb told Justice Liman that the NCA was assigned to investigate the activities and status of the two firms, Gazeaft Ltd and Goldmatic Ltd, that were alleged to have been used by the defendants to perpetrate the crime.
The witness also informed the court how he made enquiries at Barclays Bank in London on the status of these two firms and found out that they have both been wound up and the accounts closed since 1987 and 1989 respectively.
He further told the court that when the cheque for £2.6 billion drawn on Gazeaft Limited was presented to Union Bank for clearing in 1994, the company and its account at Barclay’s Bank were not in existence. He also told the court that there was no evidence of the lodgement of the £2.6 billion cheque at Barclays Bank at any time during the existence of Gazeaft Limited and while the account was in existence.
Earlier, an investigative officer with the EFCC, Suleiman Yusuf, who also testified in the case in his evidence-in-chief, told the court that he was part of the team that arrested the defendants.
“I am one of the team that investigated this case. We investigated the matter as a team, and I played many roles at the time. During the investigation, the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom was contacted for enquiries on the two companies alleged to have been used in perpetrating the fraud”, the witness said.
The report of the investigation of the NCA was sent to the Attorney-General of the Federation and has been tendered as evidence before the court”.
Following the conclusion of EFCC’s case, the defence lawyers informed the court that their clients would be filing a no case submission.
The EFCC had on 27th January 2021 re-arraigned the four Directors on a 13-count charge of alleged £2.6 billion fraud. They were earlier on February 13, 2020, arraigned by the anti-graft agency on a 7-count charge bordering on the alleged offence.
The defendants’ trial subsequently resumed after they all pleaded not guilty to the amended charge.
The court has adjourned till June 21 for the hearing of the defendants’ no case submission.