I never had any dealing with Fani Kayode, witness tells court

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Idowu Olusegun on Wednesday revealed that he never had any dealing with the former aviation minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who is standing trial for alleged money laundering allegations.

Olusegun who is the 1st prosecution witness made this known before a Federal High Court in Lagos while being cross-examined by counsel to the Fani Kayode, Norrison Quakers.

The witness who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Paste Poster Company further confirmed before the judge that he got cash payment of N6 million from the Directorate of Media and Publicity, PDP Campaign Organisation for printing the presidential campaign poster of former president Goodluck Jonathan through one Mr Oke.

He further insisted before the court that the balance of N24 million his company charged the  Directorate of Media and Publicity, PDP Campaign Organisation for media consultancy is yet to be paid.

Olusegun noted that he could not remember the amount he collected until he was shown a copy of the receipt issued by his company by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Justice Mohammed Aikawa had earlier overruled the objection of counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo who had insisted that the extra-Judicial statement made by Olusegun before the commission, cannot be tendered before the court based on the reason that there was the need to give the 2nd defendant (Fani-Kayode) the opportunity iron out any issue with the statement.

While being led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, the 1st prosecution witness, who after being asked by Oyedepoif he printed some of the posters.

To which the witness responded in the affirmative when further adding that the amount on the receipt was N6 million, even as he explained that payment was made to him in cash, and in the name of “Directorate of Media and Publicity, PDP Campaign Organisation.”

“On that same day, the sum of N30 million was also remitted to me in cash in the name of “Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Campaign Organisation,” he said.

Fani-Kayode was the Chairman, Media and Publicity, of the 2015 PDP Campaign Organisation, was arraigned before the court alongside the former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman.

Also charged with the duo on a 17 counts that touch on alleged N4.6 billion money laundering is the former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, together with a company, Join Trust Dimensions Limited.

But they had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Specifically, Fani-Kayode and others were alleged to have committed the offence between January and March 2015.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants unlawfully retained over N3.8 billion which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act of stealing and corruption.

The EFCC also alleged that the defendants unlawfully used over N970 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of an unlawful act of corruption.

The matter has been adjourned until November 20, 2017 for continuation of trial.