Witness to the EFCC revealed before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday, that the Resident Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Kwara State received a sum of N1m cash from the former minister of Petroleum resources to compromise the 2015 general elections. The Commission also gave out names of beneficiaries of alleged bribe paid by Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke to individuals and public officials totalling $115m.
In a document submitted to the court, it was revealed that the then Commissioner of Police in Kwara State received N10m cash, while the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations got N2m cash.
Similarly, both the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of operations and administration in Kwara State, according to the document, received N1m cash each. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kwara State for the 2015 general elections was also on the payroll of the former minister, as he received cash of N10m, while the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Administrative Secretary in Kwara State at the time received N5m cash.
The INEC Head of Department, Operations and “his boys” were given N5m, while “other officers” received and shared N2m among themselves.
Other beneficiaries include; OC Mopol and “his men”, who allegedly smiled away with N7m, 21c Mopol and his men N10m; the Director of the DSS and his men, N2.5m.
The military in Kwara State was not left out in the allegations of bribery, as it received N50m, while other security agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps got N20m.
The EFCC through its leading investigator, Usman Zakari told Justice Rilwan Aikawa that details of the document were recovered from Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mr. Dele Belgore. Belgore is accused of receiving N450m and was alleged to have disbursed to different individuals in cash, an offence punishable under sections 1(a), 16(d), 15(2)(d) and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.
The EFCC said Belgore is liable to be punished under sections 15(3)(4), and 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
Former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman is also standing trial with Belgore and has since pleaded not guilty.
Zakari is the second witness to be called by the EFCC in its efforts to prove its case.
Testifying before Justice Aikawa on Thursday, Zakari explained that Belgore volunteered the list to the EFCC when he was invited and interrogated by the anti-graft agency.
The investigator pointed out to the court Belgore’s endorsement on the document titled, “Security and Transportation per State,” stating: “document supplied by me, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN).”
Equally, the EFCC exhibited another document recovered from Belgore also showing other beneficiaries.
The document simply titled “Kwara State” showed beneficiaries of a sum of N155,220,000 and the breakdown of what they got.
Among them were 15 electoral officers who each received, 250,000; 15 supervisors, who got N100,000 each; the state Returning Officer, who got N1m, among others.
The two documents were tendered by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, and admitted in evidence as Exhibit 7 and 7A, against Belgore and Suleiman, as their lawyers, Mr. Ebun Shofunde (SAN) and Mr. Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), raised no objection.
In his evidence, Zakari told the court that the EFCC’s findings showed that the money was disbursed in cash to the beneficiaries.
“My Lord, the mode of payment, as contained in Exhibit 7, is cash payment. The payments were not done through any financial institution,” Zakari said.
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