Ahmed Idris, the former accountant-general of the federation, has raised allegations against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for not presenting all the statements he provided at the agency’s office during court proceedings.
Gatekeepers News reports that Idris is currently facing a trial on a 14-count charge alongside co-defendants Geoffrey Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and the firm Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited. The trial is taking place at the high court of the federal capital territory in Maitama, where all defendants have entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC initially apprehended Idris on May 16, 2022, in relation to accusations of fund diversion 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.
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.
