Alleged N109.4 Billion fraud: Trial Of Ex-AGF Stalled Over Missing Statement

An Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, yesterday, adjourned the trial of the former Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, who was accused of siphoning public funds to the tune of about N109.4 billion, till March 11.

The matter was stalled after it was discovered that an alleged incriminating statement the erstwhile AGF made before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was missing.

Trial judge, Justice Halilu Yusuf had earlier ordered trial-within-trial in the matter to enable the court to determine whether all the extra-judicial statements the defendant made before the anti-graft agency, should be admitted in evidence.

Whereas the anti-graft agency maintained that the defendant, who is facing trial alongside three others, made confessional statements that nailed him in the charge, however, the former AGF insisted that he made the said statements under duress.

He urged the court to reject the 13 different statements the EFCC sought to tender in evidence against him.

Meanwhile, at the resumed proceedings in the matter, yesterday, the EFCC told the court that the 1st defendant, Idris, voluntarily made all the statements between May 16, 2022, when he was arrested and July 5, 2022.

Though the commission, through one of its investigators, Mr Hayatudeen Suleiman, identified 12 of the statements, it was, however, unable to locate the last statement dated July 5, in the case file.

Counsel to the ex-AGF, Mr Chris Uche, SAN, also told the court that the said statement which was described as very pivotal to the case of the prosecution was not part of the proof of evidence the EFCC served on his team.

Consequently, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr Oluwaleke Atolagbe, applied for an adjournment to enable him to find and serve a copy of the statement on the defendants.

Other defendants in the matter, are an aide to the former AGF, Mr Olusegun Akindele; a Director of the Federation Account, Mohammed Usman, as well as a company, Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, which allegedly served as the conduit pipe through which bulk of the stolen funds was diverted.

They are answering to a 14-count charge that borders on conspiracy, money laundering and criminal misappropriation of public funds.
It will be recalled that the initial attempt by the defendants to enter into a plea bargain deal with the EFCC, collapsed.
The court had earlier granted the former AGF bail in the sum of N5bn with two sureties which it stressed must be a Director and a Permanent Secretary.