A Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, has admitted in evidence more documents tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an ongoing trial of Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, who were charged with N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.

The defendants allegedly obtained the sum from the Federal Government of Nigeria sometime in 2011, by falsely claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Limited under the Petroleum Support Fund.

The anti-graft agency had arraigned the duo alongside Nasaman Oil Services Limited on an amended 49-count charge before Justice Mojisola Dada.

Their offences bordered on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.

The prosecution said their offences were contrary to the provision of Section 8 and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 as well as Section 363 (3)(j)and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
They were initially standing trial before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja before the judge withdrew from the case, prompting the re-assignment of the case to Justice Dada.

However, at the resumed proceeding, a prosecution witness, an investigative officer with the EFCC,Tolulola Tola-Ukabam, who is a member of the Special Team on Petroleum Subsidy (STPS) set up in 2012 by the EFCC to probe the alleged fraud in the fuel subsidy regime, told the court how she investigated the matter.

She said that the Special Team on Petroleum Subsidy was tasked with the investigation of payment of subsidies to importers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

She said: “As a member of the team, I was given the sole responsibility of investigating the vessels that were used by the marketers to import PMS.”

Led-in-evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Seidu Atteh, the witness told the court that her task was to confirm that vessels were active as well as the locations of the vessels on the date they loaded PMS at the port of origin and also the date they had ship-to-ship (STS) transfer with smaller vessels.

She noted: “I carried out my investigation, using the Lloyd’s List of Intelligence database.”

According to her, the Lloyd’s List of Intelligence is a subscription-based online platform, which provides real-time and historical maritime data.

“It tracks the location and movement of vessels, and you can also find details of each vessel such as the type of vessel, the history of the ownership and the status of the vessel, whether inactive or active.

“The EFCC subscribed to this platform by paying a fee, and an account was created for the Commission in the name of the then Director of Operations. I was selected as the Desk Officer to access the platform,” she said.

She further testified that she began her vessel’s search on the website of the Lloyd’s List of Intelligence, using the name of the vessel and its International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number, which is unique to each vessel.

After listening to their submissions, Justice Dada subsequently adjourned the matter to December 15 and 20, 2023 for continuation of trial.