N30 million ‘Diezani cash’ was for logistics - Former INEC official

Diezani

Ex-Administrative Secretary at the Kwara State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Christian Nwosu, yesterday denied being bribed by former Petroleum Minister Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke to rig the 2015 general election results.



He said the N30 million he was alleged to have collected from her was spent on logistics.

Nwosu said his office knew about the money and how it was spent.

He spoke while testifying in a trial-within-trial before Justice Ibrahim Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Under cross-examination by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, Nwosu claimed he did not personally benefit from the money.

He said it was shared to INEC ad-hoc staff for logistics.

He said: “I did not personally benefit from the N30 million. The ad-hoc staff benefitted because the election went smoothly with the assistance of the logistics support. My commission was aware of the money and the evidence was that the election went smoothly.”

On how he got the cash, he said: “The money was not given to me by way of cheque. We were asked to go to the bank to collect it. No cheque was given to me at the bank. I just signed a document at the bank, which confirmed the receipt of the money.

“I did not instruct the bank to transfer the money to any account because it was not for me but for the coordinator (Mr. Isa Adedoyin), who is to ensure that the money get to the ad-hoc staff.”

Nwosu said N17 million was paid into his Diamond Bank Plc account on April 7, 2015 and N13 million was also paid into his Union Bank account on April 13, 2015.

Nwosu had claimed that EFCC allegedly forced him to surrender his property worth N30 million.

He said he was also induced to part with N5 million in a bid to regain his freedom.

According to him, the statements he made at the EFCC were dictated to him while the one he made voluntarily was described as “rubbish”.

Nwosu and Tijani Inda Bashir were accused of receiving N30 million bribe from Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

They were arraigned along with Yisa Adedoyin, who pleaded guilty to receiving cash payment of N70,050,000 from Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke is also named in the charge, but is said to be “at large”.

Justice Idris adjourned to November 15.

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