From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the trial of former Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Godwin Emefiele has told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that the contract awards for vehicle purchases by the apex bank passed through the due process of procurement laws and CBN guidelines.

The prosecution witness, Salawu Gana, in his testimony yesterday admitted that quotations for supplies of vehicles were received from three major motor companies in the country, namely RT. Briscoe, Globe Motors, and April 1616 firm.

He said the Procurement Department of the CBN, after evaluating the quotations, vetted the submissions of the three companies and recommended the April 1616 firm for the contract award.

Under cross-examination by lead counsel for Emefiele, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), Gana said Emefiele subsequently approved the contract award to the winner (April 1616) upon the recommendations of the CBN Tenders Board.

He admitted that the vehicles were supplied after which the company (April 1616) was paid upon the recommendations of the Tenders Board and approval of the defendant.

The witness, who claimed to be Head of the Procurement Unit during the award of contracts, said the defendant (Emefiele) was not a member of the CBN Tenders Board.

He also admitted that none of the five procurement officers who recommended April 1616 for the award, including himself, had been put on trial by the anti-graft agency.

Answering another question, Gana said that he had not come across any document or evidence where money was paid from April 1616’s bank account to the defendant.

He added that from the registration certificate of the winner of the contract (April 1616), Emefiele was not a director, shareholder or signatory to the company’s account.

Responding to another question, the witness told the court that Emefiele did not direct or influence him either through phone calls or SMS messages to favour April 1616 in the procurement recommendations.

He said further that he was not reporting directly to Emefiele but to a Director, Ekanem Akpan as his direct boss in the office.

Earlier, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, tendered bundles of exhibits relating to biddings for 45 different contracts for supplying vehicles to the CBN by April 1616, RT Briscoe, and Globe Motors.

The witness, during evidence in chief, told the court that April 1616 got the contract awards because the company quoted the least cost prices among the three.

Meanwhile, Emefiele, through his counsel, Matthew Burkaa, has applied to the court to prohibit EFCC from calling additional witnesses after the 10 witnesses listed on the proof of evidence have already testified.

Burkaa, while moving the application, argued that the anti-graft agency had tendered all necessary documents relating to the alleged procurement fraud charges against his client, adding that permitting them to call additional witnesses would overreach the court.

The application was, however, vehemently opposed by the EFCC lawyer on the grounds that the right of EFCC to a fair hearing would be violently breached.

He therefore pleaded with the court to reject the application in the interest of justice.

Meanwhile, Justice Hamza Muazu has fixed March 20 for ruling on the application.

Emefiele was brought to court on a 20-count amended charge, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He is alleged to have engaged in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence when he served as the apex bank’s boss.

Among the allegations is that the former CBN boss forged a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated January 26, 2023, with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported it to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

He is also accused of using his office as CBN governor to confer unfair and corrupt advantage on two companies—April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd—in a charge marked FCT/HC/CR/577/2023.