Emefiele: Court Grant Defense Wish To Recall PW 1

By Stephen Aya / posted May 20, 2024

The Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday granted the request of the defence to recall the first prosecution witness in the alleged abuse of office and the multi-billion case against the Former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.

when the case was called up for hearing on Friday, the counsel to Emefiele’s co-defendant, Mr Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN) remained in the court of a motion on notice dated May 6 and sought the indulgence of the court to recall one Mr Monday Osazuwa,

Osazuwa had on April 12 testified how the embattled governor, on different occasions, sent him to collect three million dollars cash in tranches.

Justice Rahman Oshodi, granted the application of Gbadamosi to recall the witness, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) declined any objections.

He said: “In the motion on notice dated May 6, and filed on May 6, the second defence counsel seeks an order to recall the first prosecution witness (PW1)

“The second defence counsel seeks to further cross-examine PWI on matters listed in paragraph 4 D on the affidavit in support of the application.

“The recall was also premised on nine grounds and the six-paragraph affidavits were filed in support of the application and equally is a written address filed on May seven.

“The prosecution did not file a rebuttal and I hereby grant the application,”

EFCC counsel, then prayed to the court for a leave to further examine the fourth prosecution witness, a contractor, who had started his evidence in chief on May nine and the leave was granted by the court.

The witness, in the continuation of his examination, told the court that there was an error in his extra-judicial statement regarding the location where the $600,000 was given to the second prosecution witness, a former Director of Information Technology of CBN, Mr John Ayoh,

According to him, the sum of $400,000 was given to Ayoh in Lagos while $200,000 was given to him in Abuja.
Still under cross-examination by Emefiele’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), the witness said he wrote the statement in the presence of his lawyer, Mr Olukayode Enitan (SAN) but he was aware of the error later.

He confirmed to the court that there were only two errors in his statement and that he was released to his lawyer after he wrote the extra-judicial statement.

According to him: “Apart from the two errors, there are no other errors in my statement but there are omissions because I wrote 2014 to 2018 instead of 2014 to 2020.

The witness further informed the court his partners were not stakeholders in his company but were Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

He also confirmed he did not write in his extra-judicial statement that his partners pressured him but he said it in his evidence in chief.

The judge adjourned the case until July 9 for the continuation of the trial.