Ahmed Idris, the former accountant-general of the federation
(AGF), has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of
failing to tender all the statements he made at the agency’s office before the
court.
Idris is standing trial on a 14-count charge alongside
Geoffrey Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and a firm — Gezawa Commodity Market
and Exchange Limited — before a high court of the federal capital territory
(FCT) in Maitama.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The EFCC arrested Idris on May 16, 2022, over alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.
Halilu Yusuf, the presiding judge, had ordered a
trial-within-trial in the matter to enable the court to determine whether all
the extra-judicial statements made by the former AGF to the EFCC should be
admitted in evidence.
Chris Uche, counsel to Idris, alleged that the EFCC had
assured the defendant that he would not be subjected to any trial if he gave
details that would implicate a former minister of finance and some governors.
Idris urged the court to reject the said confessional
statements, which, he said, were obtained in violation of the provisions of
sections 15(4) and 17(1)(2) of the ACJA 2015, because his lawyers were not
present at the time he spoke, adding that the sessions were not recorded.
However, the EFCC, through one of its lead investigators,
Hayatudeen Suleiman, denied the allegation.
WEDNESDAY’S PROCEEDINGS
Led in evidence during the trial-within-a-trial by Uche on
Wednesday, Idris told the court that he made 16 different statements during the
interrogation by the anti-graft agency.
The former AGF added that 13 of those statements were
presented by the EFCC.
He told the court that the EFCC operatives took him to the
agency’s procurement unit three different times and made statements on those
occasions.
“Apart from the 13 statements brought to court by EFCC, I
made a total of 16 statements on different days in the course of the
investigation,” he said.
“I mentioned that the minister (of finance) approved the
consultancy and that the federation account allocation committee and the
revenue mobilisation allocation commission and the oil-producing state
governors were all involved.
“I am surprised that all three statements were not brought
to court.”
The former accountant-general said his lawyer was not
present when his statements were taken on June 10, 2022, June 27, 2022, and
July 5, 2022, respectively.
He denied writing any of the cautionary words contained in
the statements given on those dates, adding that the statements were dictated
to him by EFCC investigators.
“It is not correct that I made the statement in the presence
of my lawyer, Mr Gbenga Adeyemi. The statement is a dictation,” he added.
“None of my written statements were video recorded by my
interrogators.
The judge adjourned the matter to July 17 for
cross-examination of the former AGF by the prosecution.
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