The witness, who made the disclosure while being cross-examined by one of Saraki’s lawyers, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), said the burnt evidence would have provided a detailed analysis of how the defendant transferred funds from his Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB, account, to a foreign account he operated with America Express Bank, New York.
Wetkas was the head of a three-man crack team set up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2014, to investigate six separate petitions lodged against the defendant.
Narrating how they carried out the assignment, the witness said when his team discovered that there were “suspicious fund transfers” involving the defendant, they wrote to GTB, requesting for all the telex for the transfers.
He said: “We requested for details for the transfer of the funds through a letter dated March 17, 2014.”
He told the tribunal that GTB responded by supplying the Certified True Copy of some of the requested documents with evidence of instructions the defendant gave for the transfer of the funds to the foreign account.
Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki during his ongoing trail on false asset declaration at the code of conduct Tribunal in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki during his ongoing trail on false asset declaration at the code of conduct Tribunal in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
However, Wetkas said the bank provided a police report where it was indicated that some of the requested documents were burnt.
Wetkas said: “My Lord, there are several telex for the America fund transfer. Some of them are here.
“The entire request made by the investigative team for the bank to provide information on the various transfers, was an offshoot of debit transactions that were already consummated on that particular account.
“It showed that the bank carried out instructions by the defendants. So it was not in doubt that the transfer was actually carried out to America Express Service Europe Ltd.
“The narration on the account was clear: why it was transferred and where it was transferred.
“Officials of the bank were also invited and they confirmed that the transfer was consummated.
“We further requested the bank for additional evidence and documents to show details of the transactions.
“Several of the instructions and telexes were provided by the bank.
“The bank also gave us police affidavit to show that some of the documents were burnt.”
Transfer details
He said that one of the telexes showed that Saraki wired the sum of $73,286,000.28 from his GTB account, to the America Express Account with number 441441953210.
According to him, Saraki, on August 26, 2009, made six different transfers to American Express Service Europe Services Ltd.
Asked by the defence counsel if he was sure that there was any bank like American Express New York, the witness said: “My Lord, I am sure that the defendant cannot put his money in a non-existing bank.”
Meanwhile, the case got a fresh twist yesterday, after Saraki, through another lawyer, filed a motion, asking the CCT Chairman, Justice Danladi Umar, to disqualify himself from the case.
Saraki insisted that Justice Umar ought to hands-off his case since he (Umar) was under administrative bail from EFCC, following his alleged involvement in a criminal act involving N10 million bribery scandal.
However, the motion could not be heard by the tribunal, which adjourned further sitting on the 13-count charge against Saraki till today.
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