Diezani Alison-Madueke
A former Group Manager of thr Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, responsible for Crude Oil Marketing has confessed to a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, how the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke instructed him to deliver $70 million in 12 padlocked bags to a banker in Abuja.
The ex-Boss is an EFCC prosecution witness in the trial of Dauda Lawal, a former Bank Executive Director. Lawal is facing charges of money laundering.
The witness claimed that he personally gave the money to the aforementioned Abuja banker, named Charles in front of Dume supermarket.
Lawal was said to have handled $25 million of the $153 million that Diezani was accused to distributing to influence the 2015 elections.
The case is being presided over by Justice Muslim Hassan
In his narration, former NNPC GM said,
“As I can remember, shortly before the 2015 elections, it was the norm for heads of subsidiaries (of the NNPC) to be invited for undisclosed briefing of activities of their departments to the minister.
He added that after the briefings Diezani gave him a phone number belonging to Charles(Abuja banker) whom he had never met with instructions to deliver the 12 padlocked bags to him.
According to him, he followed through with the instructions given without asking and the source, content and purpose of the bags were unknown to him.
He said,
“Much later, the EFCC invited me for interrogation on the issue and I made a statement to that effect. Charles equally confirmed at the EFCC that he received the 12 padlocked bags and the bags contained the sum of $70 million.”
The witness said that he had a command-and-obey relationship with Diezani and he swore an oath of office to obey constituted authority.
While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, the witness said he had never met Dauda Lawal
The court adjourned the trial till July 21, 22 and 23.