An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abubakar Aliyu, who is a witness in a case of N2.1billion fraud involving Raymond Dokpesi, founder, African Independent Television and Daar Investment & Holdings Limited, on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 narrated events leading to the arrest and prosecution of the business mogul by the Commission.
Aliyu recalled how in the course of his duties sometime in 2015, the Chairman, EFCC, set up a committee in which he was a member to carry out investigation on the Presidential Arms Procurement Report received from ONSA.
Led in evidence as PW11 by A. O Atolagbe, who stood in for Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, counsel to the EFCC, Aliyu stated that the investigative report revealed that Dokpesi was a beneficiary of the N2.1billion allegedly diverted from the ONSA without justification.
He said: “In the report it was alleged that the then National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) diverted public funds meant for the security of the country to various individuals and companies without any work done in lieu of the payment.
“In the report, Daar Investment & Holdings Limited was amongst the company enlisted to receive the alleged sum domiciled in a First Bank Account”.
According to him, the statement of account obtained from the First Bank revealed that the first defendant, Dokpesi, is the owner of Daar Investment & Holdings Limited and thus the beneficiary of the alleged funds.
His words: “The Commission then wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser in a respect of the said payment requesting for the mandate and supporting documents and feedback received from ONSA stated that there was no reason for the payment as no job was executed to warrant such payment.
“We invited Dokpesi and presented to him the statement of the First Bank Account wherein he confirmed that he was a beneficiary of the funds based on his proposal which was neither addressed nor acknowledged by any authority”.
The witness also told the court that further investigations which was extended to the ONSA and Presidency had no head way since the proposal did not possess any address or acknowledgement, only a verified signature of the first defendant.
Aliyu added that the first defendant also volunteered statements to the EFCC at its Head Office, Wuse 2, Abuja, which was signed in the presence of his lawyers.
The proposal tagged ‘Presidential Media Initiative’ dated October, 2014 was tendered and admitted as Exhibit H, while the statements dated December 1, 2015; December 2, 2015 and December 6, 2015 were also tendered and admitted as Exhibit I; I1, I2 and I3 respectively.
The case has been adjourned to February 7, 2018 for continuation of trial with PW12.
Dokpesi is standing trial on a 6-count charge of money laundering and procurement fraud to the tune of N2.1billion before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The offence is contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
