Witness tells court how Ex-NNPC GMD, Yakubu concealed $9.7m, £74,000

A Prosecution witness. Sambo Maina on Thursday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja  how a former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, concealed the sum of $9,772,800 found in his apartment

The former NNPC boss is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for money laundering and false declaration of assets .

Wren the matter came up yesterday, the witness, the foirth in the matter, who is an operative with the anti-graft agency told the trial Judge,Justice Ahmed Ramat  Mohammed that the former NNPC boss also failed to declare the sum of £74,000 found in his building in the assets declaration  form.

While narrating how EFCC came about the ‘Declaration Form’, Sambo said: “We commenced investigation into two categories of NNPC contract. The contracts were awarded by NNPC and its subsidiaries.

“The first category of the contract relates to strategic alliance agreement between the NNPC, its subsidiaries NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd.

“The first strategic alliance agreement was on oil mining lease 26/30/34/40/42 and the second contract was on oil mining lease 60/61/62/63”.

He added that the investigation was sequel to intelligence report received by the EFCC relating to suspicious fund transfers from the Nigerian account of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept to its sister company in Switzerland called Atlantic Energy Holdings, including additional transfers from Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd to Atlantic Energy Holdings.

“It was on the basis of this suspicious transaction that investigation commenced. In the course of our investigation, we found it necessary to seek clarifications from Engineer Andrew Yakubu and he was invited to EFCC”, Maina said.

He added that while interacting with the defendant, EFCC found out that the two strategic alliance agreements were executed between 2011 and April 2014 when Yakubu was the GMD.

The witness further stated that after the defendant volunteered his statement, he also declared his assets to the EFCC sometimes between June and August, 2015.

He told the court that the declaration form given to the defendant to fill and declare his assets was based on the allegation that the company, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd, was allowed to lift crude oil worth over a billion dollars without carrying out the necessary obligation on their part upon which some officials of the NNPC were charged to court.

The asset declaration form was tendered and admitted as ‘Exhibit I’ before the court and the judge, thereafter, adjourned till July 3, 2018 for continuation of trial.

Yakubu, is facing trial on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering and false declaration of assets.

It would be recalled that, on the 3rd day of February, 2017, operatives of the EFCC had stormed a building belonging to the former NNPC boss and recovered a staggering sum of $9,772,000 and £74,000 stashed in a huge fire proof safe.

Yakubu, who admitted to be the owner of the monies, claimed it was gifts given to him by friends and well wishers and also savings accumulated over a period of years.