Published: August
The case has been adjourned to November for further hearing.
A witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Wednesday, contradicted the testimony of an earlier prosecution witness over the genuineness of a document presented by some oil marketers to claim subsidy payment.
The EFCC is prosecuting Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi, and their firm Ontario Oil and Gas Limited over a N1.9 billion fuel subsidy scam.
Also facing trial are Fakuade Babafemi, an employee of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Ezekiel Ejidele, a Managing Partner at Akintola Williams Deloitte – an audit firm appointed by the federal government for the subsidy scheme.
Harley Aitsegame, Depot Manager at Integrated Oil and Gas, during cross examination before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, denied telling the EFCC that the PPPRA rejected his company’s version of the document bearing the actual volume of petrol presented by alleged subsidy thieves.
Mr. Aitsegame’s testimony contradicted that of Shehu Mohammed, an EFCC investigator, who had earlier accused the PPPRA of conniving with the oil marketers and refusing to sign the document presented by the tank owner, but instead chose to sign that of the oil marketers which carried inflated figures.
Mr. Mohammed, a Deputy Detective at the commission, had also stated that an official of Integrated Oil and Gas, the owner of the tank farm, told him during interrogation that the company took the document bearing the actual figures to PPPRA for endorsement, but the agency rejected it.
Mr. Aitsegame denied confessing such to the anti-graft agency.
The Shore Tank Certificate, presented by the accused oil marketers to claim subsidy payment from the federal government, was signed by the PPPRA; however, the one by the tank farm owners to the EFCC during investigation, was unsigned.
While the certificate recovered from Integrated Oil Services read 12 million litres, the one given to the commission by Ontario Oil said 19 million litres, the EFCC said.
The EFCC noted that the oil marketers had perpetrated a similar fraud in the fourth quarter of 2010, claiming subsidy payment for 19 million litres while actually discharging 10 million litres of petrol.
Mr. Aitsegame said it was “practically impossible” for his company’s tank to accommodate 19 million litres of petrol, which the accused marketers said they discharged.
“The capacity of the tank cannot hold that quantity (19 million litres),” said Mr. Aitsegame, the prosecution’s third witness.
The witness said that Integrated Oil and Gas’ tank farm has a 16.5 million litres capacity.
An effort by Edoka Onyeke, a defence counsel, to tender a document backing his claim that the tank could take up to 20 million litres, was dismissed by the court.
In a brief ruling, Lateefat Okunnu, the trial judge, said that the document was computer-generated and, therefore, did not satisfy the provisions of Sections 83 and 84 of the Evidence Act.
The judge adjourned till October 24, November 4 and 18 for continuation of trial.
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