THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday held the trial of seven persons accused of complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the Police Pensions Office.

The trial had resumed from its adjournment on February 10, 2016 before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf of the same court with prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, leading the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), Mustapha Gadanya, in evidence.

Gadanya told the court that the accused conspired with banks to launder police pension funds.

The accused persons are: Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, Uzoma Cyril Attang and Christian Madubuike.

Gadanya, whose testimony commenced on Wednesday, told the court while being led in evidence yesterday by Jacobs, the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), that the first accused, Esai Dangaba’s bank statement was obtained and analysed.

According to him, the analysis revealed that the statement did not reflect the investments as seen in the pay deposits advices recovered from the accused’s office.

“The bank was helping the accused to launder money. Funds were kept in the bank’s suspense account and later fixed, never entering his company account.”

The witness further stated that, several funds discovered in the first accused account (close to a billion naira) had been withheld by the Federal Government.

“Investigations revealed that several hundreds of millions fixed as investment deposits made by the first accused person through his companies AMT Global Concept and Damule Nigeria Limited were made when he was a director in the Police Pension Office,” he said.

Documents in support of the claim were tendered in evidence and admitted by the court as exhibits.
Gadanya, giving further details said the accused was also discovered to be the managing director and the sole signatory of Damule Nigeria Limited, the company where he had his wife and two sons listed as directors.