Justice E. O Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 admitted as exhibits several documents presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in a case of N18.9million fraud trial involving a former staff of Access Bank staff, Onus Osagie.
Osagie is facing a 25-count charge of stealing and obtaining by false pretence, to the tune of N18, 911, 583.33 ( Eighteen Million, Nine Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five Hundred and Eighty Three Naira, Thirty Eight Kobo).
At the resumed sitting, the prosecuting counsel, Kayode Oni presented a witness, Juliet Odogwu, an operative of EFCC, and tendered some documents which were admitted as exhibits and marked as follows: a petition from Access bank to EFCC was marked as exhibit ‘A’; while Letters of investigation activities from the EFCC to Delta State Ministries of Finance, Health, Justice and Education were marked exhibits B,C,D and E respectively.
Other documents admitted in evidence are: Letters of enquiries sent to Skye bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB, United Bank for Africa, UBA, Zenith bank and their responses. They were marked as exhibits G1,G2,G3,G4,G5,G6,G7,G8,G9,G10 and G11 respectively
Some extra -judicial statements of the defendant, tendered by the prosecuting counsel were opposed by counsel to the defendant, I Igbinige, who argued that the statements were not voluntarily made by his client. This objection spurred Oni to apply for a trial within trial to determine the voluntariness of the statement and the court granted the application.
The matter was thereafter adjourned to February 9, 2018.
Osagie, a former staff of Access bank Plc, ran into trouble when he allegedly inserted his name and that of his family members and friends, into the payroll of Delta State government through the State’s account being managed by the bank.
Access bank detected the scam and reported it to the EFCC.
