THE first prosecution witness in the trial of a former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday claimed that the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation still owed him N24 million.
Managing Director of Paste Poster Company Limited Olusegun Idowu, whose firm handled part of the publicity for the former president’s campaign, said he was only paid N30 million out of N54 million agreed for the job.
Fani-Kayode, who was the organisation’s Director of Media and Publicity, is on trial for making the transactions without passing through a financial institution.
Idowu said the money was for the printing of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign posters, and that his company was paid N30 million cash in tranches of N6 million and N24 million.
Under cross-examination by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), Idowu said a member of the campaign organisation, Aderemi Ajidahun, referred the job to him.
The witness, whose office is on Lagos Island, said Olubode Oke related with his company on the campaign organisation’s behalf.
The second prosecution witness, Teslim Ajuwon, a banker, said he was responsible for responding to enquiries from EFCC and other law enforcement agencies.
He said in February 2016, he said his bank received a request from Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide account opening documents and statement of account of a company, Jointtrust Dimentions Ltd.
When prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo sought to tender the documents, defence counsel objected to their admissibility in evidence.
Former Finance Minister (State) Senator Nenadi Usman’s lawyer, Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), objected on the basis that the documents were not properly certified.
He said they were neither signed nor dated, and therefore not in conformity with Sections 103, 103 and 104 (1) of the Evidence Act.
The lawyer said for not being property certified, the documents had no evidential value and were, therefore, worthless.
“We urge the court to reject and mark them as rejected,” he said.
Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Norrison Quakers (SAN), aligned himself with Orbih’s arguments, adding that the letter from the bank to EFCC was signed by other persons rather than the witness.
Danjuma’s lawyer, Clement Onwuenwuno, argued that documents sought to be tendered were not served on his client.
Besides, he said a certificate of incorporation that was part of the documents could only by certified by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Rather than make a reply to the defence counsel’s submissions, Oyedepo offered to withdraw the documents.
“I shall be withdrawing the documents,” he said.
It was learnt that the prosecution reserves the right to “cure the defects” in the documents and tender them again.
The EFCC re-arraigned Fani-Kayode and Senator Usman for alleged N4.6 billion laundering and fraud.
They were charged along with a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and Jointrust Dimentions.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa adjourned until November 20, 21 and 22 for continuation of trial.