Anna Akuson, a witness in the N3.9 billion fraud trial involving Alex
Badeh, former Chief of Air Staff, on Wednesday told Justice Okon Abang of
the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja how a search conducted on a
property allegedly belonging to defendant led to the recovery of $1
million suspected to be proceeds of illicit deals.
Mr. Akuson, an operative of the EFCC, who testified as PW20, said that the
money was found in a wardrobe at the upper apartment of the building
located at No. 6 Ogun River Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Akuson said:
I am a cameraman working with the EFCC. On February 24, 2016, I was
assigned to go on a search with some operatives. The team leader told me
the properties (we were to search) belong to Alex Badeh.
On reaching the place, I started my recording from outside. In the master
bedroom (upstairs), we found a travelling bag covered with a pillow-case
in the wardrobe. We opened the travelling bag and found US dollars inside.
We brought the bag down and the money was counted.
After the search, we returned to the office and I copied the visual from
my camera to a hard drive, after which I burned it to a DVD disc.
Thereafter, the prosecution sought to tender the certificate of
identification and the DVD disc of the recording, but its admissibility
was strongly objected to by Mr. Badehs counsel, Akin Olujimi.
While relying on Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice
Act, 2015, Mr. Olujimi argued, I am for the first time seeing these
documents in court now that the Registrar handed them over to me.
There is no doubt that the prosecutor did not include these two documents
in the information he filed before this court. That means we have been
deprived of the rights of an accused person by the law. These two
documents ought to have accompanied the information which the court has.
Responding, Mr. Jacobs argued that the documents had been made available
to the defence when the EFCCs investigating officer (who testified as
PW19) gave his evidence. However, he offered to avail the defence counsel
copies of the documents.
Mr. Olujimi further applied that the next date of hearing, which is March
1 be vacated to enable the defence study the documents and prepare their
defence.
Consequently, Justice Abang adjourned toMarch 14for continuation of trial.
Mr. Badeh is facing trial alongside Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on a
10-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N3.9billion.
He, among other things, allegedly between January and December, 2013, used
dollar equivalent of N1.4 billion removed from the accounts of the
Nigerian Air Force to purchase a mansion situated at No. 6, Ogun River
Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja.