Nurudeen further stated investigations revealed that those transfers were mostly below N9million in tranches on same day, and several days in different months, which was done to avoid triggering the reporting requirements of banks if money transferred is up to N10million.
Nurudeen Bello, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated how Ibrahim Abdulsalam, former Managing Director of the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and others allegedly defrauded the agency to the tune of N2.8bn.
Appearing before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Frriday, Nurudeen tendered a petition leading to the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Abdulsalam and others.
Abdulsalam is facing trial alongside Nnamdi Udoh (still at large), Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Segun Agbolade, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Invesment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited for conspiring to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2.8billion to Deposit Limited, Air Sea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedule Systems Limited under the pretext that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA's consignments.
Nurudeen, who was led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that a petition was assigned to his team on February 5, 2016, which was analysed and subsequent letters were written to various banks of the agency to furnish the commission with all account statements of NAMA.
"We equally wrote to the Nigerian Custom Service to obtain the records of importation made by the Nigerian Airpace Management Agency from 2010 to 2016," he said.
"We also wrote to Guarantee Trust Bank attaching the Nigerian Custom Service payment receipts seeking the authentification by the bank. Investigations showed that documents importation could not be confirmed from records. So, a response was sent back to the EFCC, stating that the purported documents said to have been issued by the bank could not be found in the records of the bank."
At the resumed trial on Friday, Nurudeen was also showed the statement of the third defendant, which he identified as the statement he took on February 15, 16, 18, 22 and and March 12, 2016, and also identified the responses from the letters he wrote to Customs and their replies to the EFCC.
The prosecution counsel, through the witness, sought to tender the statements of the third defendant, which were admitted and marked as Exhibits E 1-7 and F respectively.
When asked to read out the statement of account of Randville Invesment Limited, the witness listed several millions of naira that was received by Belosa, who withdraws this money from NAMA account to transfer to Randville Investment, before transferring to Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, Multeng Engineering, Multeng Aviation, NNPC Retail Limited, Airspace Delivery and various BDCs. Cash withdrawals were mostly done by Segun Agbolade and Joy Ayodele Adegorite, for onward transfer to Segun Agbolade. Some cash payments were made to one Alaba Odulani.
Nurudeen further stated investigations revealed that those transfers were mostly below N9million in tranches on same day, and several days in different months, which was done to avoid triggering the reporting requirements of banks if money transferred is up to N10million.
He also stated that withdrawals made by Segun Agbolade, which where mostly N3million but in tranches, and the transfers to Multeng Travel and Tours, Multeng Engineering, Multeng Aviation, were made in order to facilitate withdrawals because of the cashless policy introduced by the bank.
While the several millions transferred to NNPC retail limited was to supply petroleum products to the filling station owned by Agbolade. The money transferred from Randville Invesment Limited to one Mr. Alaba Odulani was for the purchase of a filling station located at Egbeda, Lagos.
The proceeding was however cut off due to of fifth defendant Joy Adegorite's ill-health.
The situation forced Justice Babs Kuewumi to adjourn further proceedings to June 13 and 14.