EFCC's witnesses fail to substantiate claim of criminal conduct in ex-NIMASA boss trial

PRINCIPAL prosecution witnesses in the trial of former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Raymond Omatseye, yesterday stunned a Federal High court, Lagos, as they failed to provide evidence in support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)'s allegation of criminal conduct against the accused.The witnesses, Ibrahim Ahmed, an operative of the EFCC and Bulama Jarma, director, Shipping Development in NIMASA, who testified before Justice Fatimat Nyako, during the trial of Omatseye of contract splitting and money laundering charge could not substantiate the charge.While Ahmed told the court that his investigation could not indicate that the accused person received financial benefit from the contracts he allegedly split, Jarma insisted that due process of procurement was observed in the award of the contracts.Ahmed, who claimed to have partaken in investigating the allegation against Omasteye, told the court under cross-examination that though investigators established the award of contracts under Omatseye's leadership, they could not link the accused with any of the benefiting companies.He also told the court that though the tender for the contracts were advertised in-house, none of the said tenders originated from the then Director General personally as the requests for the items for which the contracts were awarded were not from the DG's office.The EFCC operative admitted that the contracts were well executed as all the items requested were supplied.Although Ahmed insisted that the accused person allegedly engaged in contract splitting to avoid exceeding his approval limit, he failed to distinguish from the computers supplied by not noting the specifications.He said: 'Desktop computers are desktop computers.'Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla, Jarma, who was director, Finance under Omatseye, admitted that 300,000 pounds were moved between two NIMASA's accounts in Barclay Banks in London but said the movement was approved by Omatseye to be used to support the candidacy of a Nigerian, Mrs. Mbanefo, who was contesting for the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).Jarma said although the request for support for Mrs. Mbanefo came from the then Nigerian Representative in IMO, Williams Azu, there was no evidence that Omatseye benefited personally from the money.The second prosecution witness, denied prosecution's suggestion that such movement of funds required ministerial approval. He added that to his knowledge, only 26,000 pounds were expended from the entire amount.Under cross-examination by defence' counsel, Olusina Sofola (SAN) said the claim by the prosecution that there was contract splitting could not be true as all the items supplied by the contractors were not the same.He also denied knowledge if the accused person personally benefited from the contracts and the funds meant to support Mrs. Mbanefo's candidacy.Further hearing on the matter has been adjourned till June 12.
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