Court Adjourns Ex-Gov Suswam’s Trial Till March 22.

The trial of former Benue State governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam over alleged 3.1 billion fraud has been adjourned to March 22, 2016 for continuation.
The trial was adjourned by Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, where the ex-governor and two others are facing criminal charges brought against them by the Federal Government.

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, a witness brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) told Justice Mohammed how he was directed by the former Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam to pay the sum of N3.1billion from the proceeds of the sales of the Benue state shares to a personal account belonging to a Bureau de Change.
The witness, Aluyi Victor, a portfolio manager with Elixir Investment Company Limited, told the court that it was later discovered that after carrying out a private investigation that the account where the money was paid belonged to a Bureau de change.


Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacob (SAN), Mr. Victor told the court that Elixir Investment Company limited received a verbal instructions to sell the Benue State government shares from Suswam through his then Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Okolobia.

“After the sale was completed, we realised the total sum of N9.4Billion.

“The money was subsequently paid out into three bank accounts following the instructions we received from the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited.

“N1billion was paid into Benue Investment and Property company bank account; N5.3Billion was paid to the Ministry of Finance account, while the remaining N3.1billion was paid into the account which after our investigation; we discovered belonged to a Bureau De Change, he said”.

He told the court that on discovering that the third account does not belong to the Benue State government, raised the observation but was told that the account belonedg to Fanffash Resources, the state ministry of account project account.
The letter authorising the payment into a private firm account was admitted as exhibit by the Judge who later adjourned the matter to March 22, 2016 for continuation of trial.
It would be recalled that Suswam was arraigned alongside his Finance Commissioner‎, Omodachi Okolobia on a nine-count charge of money laundering.

Count one of the charge reads, “That you Gabriel Suswam and Omodachi Okolobia, while being Benue State Governor and Commissioner for Finance of Benue State respectively, between 8th and 30th October, 2014, in Abuja, took possession of $15.8 miilion from Abubakar Umar of Fanffash Resources World-wide Limited, a Bureau de change dealer, which sum you knew to be proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: theft of N3.1 billion which form part of the sum of, N9.4 billion realised from the sale of shares owned by Benue State Government and Benue Investment and Property Company Limited and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15 ( 2) ( d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act”.

Source DailyTimes