Alleged N3.2b fraud: No official admitted being instructed by Kalu to make illegal transactions – Witness

A prosecution witness, Chidi Chukwuka, on Thursday testified that no Abia official admitted being instructed by former Governor Orji Kalu to make illegal bank transactions during his tenure.
Chukwuka, the 17th prosecution witness, testified before a Federal High Court in Lagos during cross-examination in the ongoing fraud trial of Kalu.
The witness, a Deputy Director in the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, was an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is prosecuting Kalu.
EFCC had on October 31, 2016, preferred a 34-count charge bordering on N3.2 billion fraud against Kalu and a former Commissioner for Finance in Abia, Ude Udeogo.
Slok Nig. Ltd. was charged along with Kalu and Udeogo.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charge, and were granted bail.
EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had led Chukwuka in evidence on the last adjourned date.
At the resumed trial on Thursday, Kalu’s counsel, Awa Kalu (SAN), cross-examined him.
When asked if he knew the person who signed the petition (exhibit G) against Kalu, the witness said that it was Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe.
When asked if he knew that the complainant and Kalu were not in good terms, he responded in the negative.
He testified that in the course of his investigation for EFCC, he interviewed principal officers of Abia State Government including the accountant-general, chief of staff, director of finance, Government House cashier and deputy chief of staff.
Chukwuka said that none of the officials said that Kalu instructed him to conduct any illegal banking transaction.
He told the court that he was not aware that Kalu had a property in Boston, Massachusetts, US.
He also testified that he was not aware that Kalu’s property in Potomac, US (exhibit W1) was purchased from the proceeds of the sale of the property in Massachusetts.
Chukwuka said he was aware that the money paid from an account in Chestman Hartan Bank, now J.P. Morgan Bank in the U.S.
He also testified that Kalu declared all his assets when he assumed office as Abia Governor.
The witness said that he was aware that Slok Nig. Ltd. had a sister company in the US.
He told the court that, during his investigation, he looked into the financial records of other sectors of the state such as Abia State University, and compared it to the Government House transactions.
Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned continuation of the trial until May 11.
In the charge, the EFCC said that Kalu and the others committed the offences from August 2001 to October 2005.
The commission accused Kalu of utilising his company (Slok Nig. Ltd.) to retain in the account of First Inland Bank, now First City Monument Bank, the sum of N200 million.
It said that the sum formed part of funds illegally derived from the coffers of the Abia State Government.
The commission also said that the accused retained, in different bank accounts, about N2.5 billion belonging to the Abia State Government.
It said that the accused diverted about N3.2 billion from the coffers of Abia Government in contravention of Sections 15(6), 16 and 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2005, Money Laundering Act of 1995 (Amended) and Section 477 of the Criminal Code Act, 1990.