A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday admitted as exhibit the passport of the first prosecution witness, Mojeed Olatunji, in the trial of a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), and 10 others, who are being prosecuted for an alleged fraud of N22.8bn.
The court had on Friday adjourned till Monday for Olatunji to bring his passport to court at the request of one of the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Norrison Qakers (SAN).
In a ruling on Monday, Justice Mohammed Idris admitted Olatunji’s passport in evidence and marked it as an exhibit.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Amosu on June 29, 2016 alongside two other officers of the Nigerian Air Force – Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Olugbenga.
The trio were arraigned alongside eight companies, namely: Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, Mcallan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, and Fonds and Pricey Limited.
The 26 counts pressed against the accused by the EFCC border on conspiracy, stealing and money laundering.
Among other things, the EFCC accused them of conspiring among themselves on March 5, 2014 to convert N21.5bn belonging to the Nigerian Air Force to their personal use.
In one instance, the defendants were accused of indirectly converting a sum of N3.6bn belonging to the NAF to their own.
In another instance, the EFCC alleged that Amosu and the others stole N323,319,283.81 from the accounts of the NAF between the March 21, 2014 and March 12, 2015 to purchase for themselves a property situated at No.1, River Street, Wuse II Abuja.
The alleged act, the EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, said is a violation of Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.
But the accused had pleaded not guilty.
Amosu, Adigun and Olugbenga were subsequently admitted to bail by Justice Idris in the sum of N500m each with two sureties in like sum.
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