Alhaji Sani Dauda, a prosecution witness, told a Federal High Court Abuja on Monday that Senator Shehu Sani asked him to give N1 million each to four judges to “help” his case.
The former senator is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on bribery and advanced fee fraud preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
When the matter was called, the judge ordered that it should be stood down for 15 minutes to allow the court get an interpreter for two witnesses the prosecution had in court.
While being led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, Alhaji Sani Dauda, through the interpreter, told the court that he was arrested by the police with his entire family and released on December 15, 2019.
According to Dauda: “After my release, Sani visited to sympathise with me, after which he called me that he wanted to see me.
“When we met at my house in Maitama, he told me that I needed to give money to some judges to help my case.
“He told me that he spoke to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on my case.
“He told me to speak to the CJN, but I told him I will also like to see the CJN, but he said that the CJN will not want people visiting his house since security operatives, including the Department of State Services, are watching who goes in and out.
“He then made a call and I spoke to the person on the phone and the person told me that Sani spoke to him about my case and he has spoken to four judges that when my matter comes to them, they should inform him.
“Sani said that there are four judges that we should give N1 million each, but I told him that I was already in this predicament and can’t give out money.
“He also told me that he was told that Abubakar also had a case at the EFCC and the prosecutor was asking for N1 million, a total of N5 million and I told him I didn’t have money today and he should come back the next day.
“I then called a Bureau De Change Operator, Abubakar, to bring the money to me.”
While the witness was trying to explain how he raised the money, converting dollars to naira, the judge said he was not satisfied with the interpreter.
The interpreter said at some point that he didn’t know how to interpret what the witness had said just as he had a hard time interpreting the figure the witness was calling.
The judge adjourned the matter until July 7 and ordered that another interpreter be provided.
Earlier, Bala Ismael, another prosecution witness and an employee of Dauda, had told the court that the former senator visited his boss five times before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ismael, however, said he was not privy to their discussion and didn’t know what Sani left with in a brown envelope.
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