BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
Witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Salawu Gana, yesterday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court that the contract for the purchase of vehicles by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, followed procurement laws and CBN’s guidelines.
Gana, who testified as the 10th witness of the EFCC, admitted that quotations for the supply of vehicles were received from three major companies, namely, RT. Briscoe, Globe Motors and April 1616 firm.
The witness said the Procurement Department of the CBN after evaluating the quotations, vetted the submissions of the three companies and recommended April 1616 firm for the contract.
Under cross-examination by Matthew Burkaa (SAN), lead counsel to the former governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, the witness said the defendant subsequently gave approval for the contract to the winner (April 1616) upon the recommendations of the CBN Tenders Board.
He admitted that the vehicles were supplied after which the the company was paid upon the recommendations of the Tenders Board and approval of the defendant.
The witness, who claimed to be head of the Procurement Unit during the award of contracts, said the defendant (Emefiele) was not a member of the CBN Tenders Board.
He also admitted that none of the five procurement officers who recommended April 1616 for the award, including himself, had been put on trial by the anti-graft agency.
Answering another question, Gana said he had not come across any document or evidence where money was paid from April 1616 bank account to the the defendant.
He added that from the registration certificate of the winner of the contract, Emefiele was not a director, shareholder or a signatory to its account.
Responding to another question, the witness told the court that Emefiele did not direct or influence him either through phone calls or SMS to favour April 1616 in the procurement recommendation.
He said he did not report directly to Emefiele but to a Director, Mr Ekanem Akpan, as his direct boss in office.
Earlier, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, (SAN) had tendered bundles of exhibits relating to biddings for 45 different contracts for the supply of vehicles to the CBN by April 1616, RT Briscoe and Globe Motors.
The witness, during evidence-in-chief, told the court that April 1616 got the contract because it quoted the least cost price among the three.
Meanwhile, Emefiele, through his counsel, Matthew Burka, has applied to the court to prohibit EFCC from calling additional witnesses after the 10 listed on the proof of evidence had already testified.
Burkaa, while moving the application, argued that the anti-graft agency had tendered the necessary documents relating to the alleged procurement fraud charges, adding that permitting them to go for additional witnesses will over-reach the court.
The application was, however, opposed by EFCC’s lawyer on the grounds that the right of the commission to fair hearing would be violently breached.
He, therefore, pleaded with the court to reject the application in the interest of justice.
Meanwhile, Justice Hamza Muazu has fixed March 20 for ruling on the application.
Emeifele was brought to court on a 20-count amended charge preferred against him by the EFCC.
He was alleged to have engaged in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence, when he served as the apex bank’s boss.
