Former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswan in court over corruption
charges.
The trial of Gabriel Suswan, a former governor of
Benue State and his Commissioner of Finance, Okolobia Okpanachi, continued on
Monday 15th February 2016, with a prosecution witness, Brijid
Shiedie, the managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Benue Investment
and Property Company Limited, telling Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal
High Court Abuja, how the sum of N1bn was allegedly paid to Elixir Security
Limited, after a meeting with Mr. Okpanachi (more after the cut)
Messrs Suswan and Okolobia are facing a nine-count
charge bordering on diversion of N3.1 billion during his tenure as Governor and
Deputy Governor respectively.
At the resumed hearing Monday, Ms Shiede, who was led
in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, further told the court
that Elixir was invited by the state government to carry out a check of where
the state’s shares were domiciled and consolidate them in one stock-broking firm.
She added that the state government consequently
needed BIPCL, as the custodian of the shares, to sign, in order to enable
Elixir achieve the mandate of consolidating the shares.
She also told the court that both Messrs Suswan and
Okpanachi directed BIPCL to pay Elixir the proceeds of Benue State shares into
two accounts, provided by the ministry of finance letterhead.
However, she said that no specific amount was
indicated in the correspondence.
‘‘When Elixir called me to find out what was to be
paid into each of the accounts, I said that since the money was going to the
Benue State government, a request should be forwarded to the Commissioner of
Finance. It was communicated on the Company’s letter head,’’ Ms. Shiedie
explained.
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