Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court Lagos, sitting in Ikoyi, on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, admitted as exhibits the opening account and statement of account of Slok Company Nigeria Limited, a company linked to a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.
Kalu is being prosecuted alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited and his former Commissioner for Finance, Jones James Udeogu, for money laundering to the tune of over N3.2bn.
The First City Monument Bank, FCMB statement of account was tendered and admitted as exhibit F57, while the account opening document was also tendered and admitted as exhibit F58-93 by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, through Toyosi Ekorhi, compliance officer, FMCB, Head Office, Lagos.
Ekorhi, in her testimony, told the court that her duties included attending to issues from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other law enforcement agencies.
Ekorhi also told the court that her bank received a letter from the Commission two months ago in respect of the opening account and statement of account of Slok.
“The documents were obtained from the archives of Inland Bank. My Lord, the Inland Bank, where the account was opened, was acquired by FCMB Bank,” she added.
The prosecution witness further named the signatories to the mandate card of Slok as Kalu, A. Emeka, Ogbonna Amogo and Madukwe Okocha.
She added: “The signatories to the account opening of the Slok are Kalu, Okocha, Festus Chukwuemeka and Benedith Edith.”
Under cross-examination, Ekorhi said Kalu and Udeogu were not among the Directors of Slok.
She, however, named the directors as Chief I.J. Ijeoma, Ifeoma Kalu, Ogbonna Kalu, Chief M. Uzor and M. Uzor.
Giving further testimony, Ekorhi told the court that she never handled any transactions involving Slok.
“I don’t have any knowledge of the transactions because I am not in operations,” she said.
K.C. Nwofor, counsel to the second defendant, Slok, asked for an adjournment to enable him go through the documents so as to properly cross-examine the prosecution witness.
Justice Idris adjourned the matter to June 8, 2017 for continuation of trial
