EFCC tenders Obasanjo’s statement in $6bn Mambilla power fraud

He said, “But he did not give approval to the minister for the award of the contract, and neither was approval given at the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003.”

The witness further informed the court that in the course of the investigation, the commission’s investigating team met with Obasanjo.

“We interviewed the former president, and he later made a statement.

“In the course of the interview, Obasanjo told us that he did not give approval to the defendant to award the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station to SPTCL,” he said.

The prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed SAN, then tendered the former president’s statement as an exhibit in the case.

The defendant’s counsel, Samuel Fagade, who represented the lead counsel, Adeola Adedipe SAN, objected to the document, though he did not state the grounds of objection.

He, however, told the court that he was reserving it for the final argument in the case.

The former president’s statement was temporarily admitted as an exhibit by the court.

Giving the summary of their interview session with the former president, Babangida told the court that Obasanjo told the investigating team that the former minister was directed by the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, to withdraw his memorandum.

He added that the team was further told by Obasanjo that the letter issued on May 22, 2003, by the then minister of power awarding the contract to SPTCL was not on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The witness further told the court that the investigating team then reviewed Agunloye’s financial records and discovered that he (the defendant) operated several bank accounts, including one with GT Bank.

He informed the court that Agunloye received money through his GT Bank account from one Sotirin Jide Abiodun.

He said he was a domestic personal assistant to Leno Laitan Adesanya as well as a staff member of companies belonging to Adesanya and a director in Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.

According to the witness, Sotirin Abiodun transferred the sums of N3.6 million, N500,000 and N1.1 million to Agunloye’s account on Aug. 10, 2019, Oct. 22, 2019 and Nov. 13, 2019, respectively.