Ex-Accountant-General Idris Returns $900,000 in Cash, Shares N84.7b With Others, Witness Reveals
- Ahmed Idris has voluntary returned about $900,000 part of the public funds he allegedly diverted according to EFCC
- This was disclosed by an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hayatudeen Ahmed
- The witness also told the court how Idris allegedly hired his ex-aide, Akindele as a consultant to distribute N84.3bilion out of the N84.7b
An official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AG-F), Ahmed Idris voluntary returned about $900,000 part of the public funds he allegedly diverted.
The official said this before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama.
The court also heard how N84.7billion was taken from the $2.2billion due to the nine oil producing states and shared by some senior government officials.
Source: Facebook
Hayatudeen Ahmed disclosed these while testifying at the trial of Idris and three others.
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The suspended Accountant General; his former Technical Assistant, Godfrey Olusegun Akindele; a director in the office of the AG-F, Mohammed Kudu Usman and a firm linked with Idris – Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited – are being tried on a 14-count charge bordering on stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109.
Ahmed, who testified as the first prosecution witness and was led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) gave details of how his team investigated a petition in which Idris was accused of abuse his office and compromise government’s platforms like the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIVMIS) among others.
The witness said:
“After the petition was assigned to our team, investigation commenced. We wrote to banks, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other several government agencies.
“From analysis of bank documents received, we discovered that a Baita Kura of B. I. Kura Enterprises, a bureau de change operator, made several deposits of money amounting to N280m between 2019 and 2021 into the account of the 4th defendant – Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Ltd.
“Based on this finding, Baita was invited. He admitted in his statement that those monies that he paid into the first defendant’s (Idris’) account, were given to him by the first defendant. We discovered that the payments made were on the instruction of the first defendant.
“We also discovered from other bank statements analysis that a certain Architect Mustapha Muktar, of Marcs and Construction Ltd, received various sums from Baita Kura, amounting to about N866m.
“Based on this, we invited Architect Mustapha, who gave statement and explained that the money he received from Baita were on the instruction of the first defendant.”
The witness said Mustapha said Idris asked him to use the money for the construction of the Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange in Gezawa Town, Kano.
Court sentences prominent Nigerian senator to 7 years in prison
In a related development, the Court of Appeal in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, representing Delta North Senatorial District, to seven years imprisonment.
The EFCC, in a statement via Facebook, said the appellate court gave the verdict on Friday, July 1.
The court also ordered that the senator's two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, be wound up in line with the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.
Source: Legit.ng
