A Prosecuting witness Three Pw3, in the trial of Ali Bello
and Dauda Suleiman who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, has told Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High
Court sitting in Abuja that Suleiman usually comes to his office for business
transaction to either buy, borrow or sell dollars.
The witness, Rabiu Musa Tafada, a Bureau the Change Operator,
on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 told the court that the second defendant was his
regular customer. Bello and Suleiman are standing trial for money
laundering to the tune of N10bn.
Tafada whose office is located at plot 2339, Ladi Kwali
Street, Wuse zone 4, Abuja operates a Bureau de change business known as “Rabiu
Tafada Global Ventures, revealed during his testimony when led by Prosecution
counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN that he recognized the second defendant because he
usually comes to his office or send someone to do business with him.
He began his testimony by saying that sometime in 2023,
the EFCC came to his office and they took some documents which included a hard
copy notebook and an exercise book . The items were shown to him and he
admitted that the items were the documents taken by the Commission.
In view of his submission, Oyedepo sought the permission of
the court to tender the items as evidence but the defence objected to its
admissibility. Defence counsel, Nureini Jimoh, SAN, noticed
the presence of some loose sheets among the items presented by the
witness, asking the court for time to look into the items.
However, Justice Omotosho in his ruling, struck out the
objection of the defence stating that parties can only make observation and
reservation but cannot stop the admissibility of documents urging them to
tender any objection in their written addresses.
The items were admitted in evidence as Exhibit f & g
Oyedepo, in his further cross examination, led the witness to
examine the contents of exhibits shown to him. Tafada
revealed that every name in the record book either came to change money or is
in need of cash which was normally effected through a transfer to his
account number. He told the court that, although he was not the one
that recorded the transaction in the exhibits as he cannot write, his
boys in his office recorded on his behalf.
“I know the face of the second defendant. He is Dawud, because
he comes to either sell, buy or borrow money from me. On the June 10, 2022, I
directed one of my boys to record Sunny Benghazi in the book and I am familiar
with the name and the transaction was Fifteen Million Naira (N15m), but I
cannot remember what happened that day, maybe he came to change dollar to naira
or naira to dollar. Also on 17 June 2022, the second defendant brought a paper
that I should give Bashir Falala Fifty Nine Million (59m) and Forty
Million (40m) and I gave him the money. Also sometimes he will send his driver
and sometimes he comes himself” he said.
Earlier, the prosecution called the attention of the court to
an amended charge filed before the court which had been served to parties
involved, in the same vein the defense equally drew the attention of the court
to a counter- affidavit they filed.
Justice Omotosho, after listening to the testimony of PW3, adjourned the matter to February 13, 2024 for continuation of trial.
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