Court admits bank documents against Ex-Naval Chief Jibrin
An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama has admitted in evidence bank documents tendered against former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin (Rtd) in a N600 million fraud trial. Jibrin is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-counts charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and purchase of a […]
An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama has admitted in evidence bank documents tendered against former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin (Rtd) in a N600 million fraud trial.
Jibrin is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-counts charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and purchase of a property valued at N600 million without budgetary provision alongside Rear Admiral Bala Mshelia (Rtd), Rear Admiral Shehu Ahmadu (Rtd) and Harbour Bay International Limited.
At the resumed hearing Tuesday, counsels to all the defendants objected to the admissibility of the bank documents sought to be tendered through the second prosecution witness, Margaret Emeana, a branch Manager at Diamond Bank on the basis that the documents did not fulfil the requirements of S90 of the Evidence Act and that proper foundations were not laid before the documents were tendered.
The documents include correspondence between EFCC and the bank, the account opening documents as well as statement of account of Naval Engineering Services Limited with Diamond Bank.
The trial judge, Justice Sadiq Umar held that “the prosecution in tendering the documents alongside a certificate of identification has fulfilled the requirements of S89 and S90 of the Evidence Act.
"The objection of defence counsels are hereby overruled and the documents are hereby admitted and marked as Exhibits.”
The witness further confirmed that she told the EFCC in her statement that she was told by the 3rd defendant that “they were buying a property for Oga with the N600m transaction”.
She added however that while she assumed the ‘they’ in the statement refers to the Nigerian Navy, she did not enquire further who was the ‘Oga’.
At the instance of the prosecution who told the court that the next witness is not available, Justice Umar adjourned the matter to May 22-25 for continuation of trial.