The first defence witness in the alleged $1.6B oil fraud, Olajide Omokore, has denied purchasing houses for a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani-Alison-Madueke, and cars for officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and politicians.
He stated this at the resumed hearing of the case involving himself, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, Victor Briggs ( former managing director, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, and Abiye Membere, on Tuesday before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The defendants are facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on amended nine-count, bordering on alleged money laundering and procurement fraud involving Omokore’s companies in respect of a Strategic Alliance Agreement on OML 26, 30, 34 & 42 to the tune of $1.6billion.
Omokore in a statement on Wednesday by the Economic Financial Crime Commission’s Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who was led in evidence by lead defence counsel, Lawal-Rabana, said the relationship he had with Deizani was strictly official.
The statement partly read, “Asked specifically by Lawal-Raban, SAN, if the allegation that himself and the 2nd and 3rd defendants gave out a penthouse described as House 22 and 21 in Admiralty, Ikoyi, and Belevista Estate in Ikoyi, was true, the witness replied thus: “My answer is simple. There was nothing like that. I did not do anything like that. There is no document to that effect. I did not give anything to Diezani as alleged.
“There is nothing between me and the minister that was more than official. I did not conspire with anyone. I had a facility of about $100m Dollars in Florida. Even here, the generators I am using in my office, two of them, First Bank gave me as one of their best customers. So, how can anyone say that I defrauded the government? For what!”
He also claimed that he did not provide cars for any officials of the NNPC.
“Buying cars is part of my philanthropic gesture. I buy cars for people, churches, NGO, and my friends.
“I never gave any car to Mbanefo. I gave a car to the King of Obosi who is my friend, and Mbanefo happens to be from Obosi. I am the Enyimba of Obosi and up till today, I go to the palace for meetings. My company is a very big company and I gave them instruction that I wanted to gift a car to my friend, the king of Obosi for the chieftaincy title he conferred on me. My company’s management then gave the car to kabiyesi. It was in the papers. The local television in Anambra carried it. Mbanefo is from Obosi, and we met at the palace. The company gave the car to Mbanefo to give to the Igwe”, he said.
Olaniran Obele, counsel to the 4th defendant asked the witness whether he gave a car gift to the 4th defendant, Briggs. “No, I did not”, Omokore replied. He also said it was not true that he gave car gift to Mrs Nneka Briggs, the wife of the 4th defendant?
The matter was adjourned to March 2, 2022, for continuation of hearing.
When hearing resumed today, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, cross-examined the DW1.
In response to a question on whether he was one of the directors and shareholders of Atlantic Energy Drilling Company, Omokore replied; ‘yes’, but said he could not remember specifically the percentage of his shares in the company.
Justice Dimgba adjourned the matter till tomorrow, March 3, 2022, for continuation of cross-examination.
