N190m Fraud: Oronsaye Concealed Bank Account, Witness Tells Court

The former Secretary, Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, PCFATF, Jalal Arabi, on April 14, 2016 told a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that Stephen Oronsaye concealed the identity of the Access Bank account he opened in the name of the committee.

Oronsaye, a former Chairman of the PCFATF is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a two-count charge bordering on abuse of office and obtaining by false pretence before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck.

The former Head of Service, HoS, is alleged to have used the account to receive N190 million, part of a N240million grant for the committee, received from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and converted same for personal use.

Arabi, who testified as the third prosecution witness, told the court that the only legitimate account of the committee was domiciled in Zenith Bank.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket, he added that the beneficiaries of a total sum of N63 million in the Access Bank account, were not members of the committee neither did they perform any task for the committee or on its behalf.

“The committee opened an account with Zenith Bank, and there are two signatories, myself as the secretary, and Oronsaye as the chairman,” he said. “Since 2009 till date, the committee only maintained the Zenith Bank account and we had only three inflows into it.”

He further told the court that he only got to know about the existence of the Access Bank account in July 2015 when he was summoned by the EFCC to answer questions concerning it.
Earlier during the court proceeding, Olubunmi Ojoko, the second prosecution witness, and a staff of Access Bank told the court that Orosanye issued cheques to various beneficiaries to withdraw from the said Access Bank account.

Justice Goodluck has fixed May 19 and 20 2016 for continuation of trial.