- Safiu Kehinde
A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told an Abuja High Court that former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr Olu Agunloye, did not disobey a presidential directive concerning the Mambilla power project.
NPO Reported that Agunloye was arraigned by the EFCC on a seven-count charges, bordering on official corruption and fraudulent award of Mambilla Power Project contract to the tune of $6billion (Six Billion United States Dollars).
The commission alleged that Agunloye, who served as a Minister between 1999 and 2003, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, illegally awarded a contract for the construction of 3,960mw Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on a Build, Operate and Transfer Basis.
According to the EFCC, the former minister knowingly disobeyed a presidential directive that was made after a Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting that held on May 21, 2003, by issuing a letter to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, conveying Federal Government’s approval for the contract.
Testifying, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Umar Babangida, while being cross examined by Agunloye’s lawyer, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), said:” the defendant did not disobey the directive of Obasanjo and resolution of the Federal Executive Council meeting of May 21, 2003.”
According to him, the presidential directive was contained in the minutes of the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, chaired by Obasanjo.
When confronted with an exhibit, earlier tendered through him by the prosecution to show the court anywhere in the minute of the meeting where the presidential directive was contained, the witness said there was no specific directive.
The defendant’s counsel asked the witness to read a portion of Agunloye’s extrajudicial statement tendered by EFCC as exhibit.
This was however objected by the prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed (SAN), who argued that the witness could not be cross-examined on a statement that was not his.
He added that there was a difference between what the defendant told the PW3 and what he wrote in his statement.
Responding to this, Adedipe told the court that the witness tendered the document he was shown to read from as part of his investigation .
Adedipe said further that the witness did not only take Agunloye’s statement but also gave robust evidence on it.
He added that what he was doing was to test the veracity of what the witness told the court with a view to impeaching his credibility that he was not a witness of truth.
The court, however, overruled the prosecution’s objection and directed the witness to read the portion shown him.
Babangida subsequently read the portion in which Agunloye wrote that he never met Leno Adesanya, the alter ego of SPTCL before the award of the contract until 2014.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie reserved ruling in a motion filed by the defendant seeking the leave of court to release his international passport.
He then adjourned until the 3rd of November for continuation of cross examination of the PW3.