A PROSECUTION witness in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele has said the award of contracts for the purchase of vehicles for which Emefiele is facing tried, followed due process.
The prosecution witness, Salawu Gana, is a former official of the Procurement Department of the CBN. He was testifying yesterday as the 10th prosecution witness in the case the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed against Emefiele.
The former CBN governor is facing a 20-count amended charge.
He is accused, among others, of engaging in criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretence, when he served as the apex bank’s boss.
The ex-CBN boss is also accused of using his office to confer unfair and corrupt advantage on two companies – April 1616 Nigeria Limited and Architekon Nigeria Limited.
Gana said April 1616 was awarded the contracts after going through the biding and evaluation process.
The prosecution witness, who was being cross-examined by Emefiele’s lawyer, Matthew Burkaa (SAN), said the reason for awarding the contracts (45 in all) to April 1616 was because its bid was the lowest.
Burkaa handed the witness some documents on the contracts marked as F1 to F45, the witness went through then, saying there was nowhere in the documents where his team was instructed to favour April 1616 in the award of the contract.
The witness confirmed that the documents contained the approval of Emefiele, but explained that the ex-CBN boss acted last in the line of approvals.
When asked to look at the documents again, Gana said a minimum of five officers endorsed the contract documents, adding that Emefiele’s was the last, which came after the recommendations of four subordinate officers.
