A witness brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Musa Mohammed, has confirmed before Justice Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, that sometime in September 2016, he changed a sum to the tune of $40,000 at the rate of #463 to $1 for the Chairman, Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria, NOGASA, Philips Fatuyi.
Mohammed, who is a Bureau De Change, BDC, operator, equally told the judge that the sum of over N18m was transferred into Fatuyi’s company account through one of his colleagues, Bala Mohammed Ali, a transaction, which according to Mohammed was confirmed by the NOGASA boss.
Speaking while testifying in the ongoing trial of the NOGASA Chairman charged with fraud to the tune of N43.5m, the witness told Justice Dada that this was the only business he transacted with Fatuyi and that when he was invited to the anti-graft agency’s office, his statement was written for him because he could not write and that he signed the said statement.
Whilst being cross-examined, Mohammed said, among others that nobody arrested him that the defendant gave him stolen money.
Justice Dada adjourned until May 26, 2023, for Fatuyi to open his defence.
It would be recalled that at the last hearing of the criminal case, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank, Mr Kenneth Ikeagwu, testified against Fatuyi.
The NOGASA boss is facing trial alongside his company, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence before the judge.
According to him, “We made the statement of account available to the Commission, and the certificate of identification was signed by my colleague, Mr Daniel Udom,”
The Compliance Officer further informed the judge that the defendant was the sole signatory to the account and there was an inflow and outflow of funds sometime on September 28, 2016.
He said, “There was an inflow of N18 million, N25 million, and N502,000, which were paid in tranches.”
