A director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ali Mohammed, has told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja that the ministry was unaware of the withdrawal of N124.86 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as the trial of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, continued on Tuesday.
Mohammed, who testified as the prosecution’s 10th witness (PW10) before Justice Maryanne Anineh at the Maitama division of the court, made the disclosure while being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Abbas Mohammed.
The witness explained that his appearance before the court was in response to a letter received by the Ministry of Finance from investigators regarding the withdrawal of about N154 billion allegedly linked to the CBN.
Giving details of his role in the ministry, Mohammed said he oversees the Department of Home Finance, which comprises the State and Public Finance Division, Trade Division, and Banking and Other Financial Institutions Division.
According to him, after receiving the investigators’ correspondence, he contacted the three divisions under his supervision to determine whether any of them had knowledge of the transaction. He stated that none of the divisions was aware of the withdrawal.
Mohammed noted that the State and Public Finance Investment Division, which supervises matters relating to the CBN, was the most relevant unit to the inquiry, yet it also had no knowledge of the transaction.
He further told the court that, in line with civil service procedures, he directed an inquiry to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. The move, he said, was aimed at establishing whether the OAGF, as the custodian of federal government payments, had any record of the transaction.
According to the witness, the OAGF responded in writing, stating that it had no knowledge of the withdrawal and concluding that the funds were credited directly by the CBN.
Mohammed said he relied on the response from the Accountant-General’s office before preparing a memo and seeking approval for the information to be forwarded to the Special Investigator handling the matter.
“I responded via a memo of what transpired between my office and that of the Accountant-General and sought clearance for the document to be forwarded to the Special Investigator. Subsequently, the letter was forwarded,” he told the court.
The witness also confirmed that the documents sent to investigators included a letter bearing the letterhead of the Federal Ministry of Finance, signed by him, as well as an attached letter signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation.
During proceedings, Mohammed identified the documents when shown to him in court. The prosecution subsequently sought to tender them as evidence. Since the original copies had already been forwarded to the Special Investigator, certified true copies were presented before the court.
Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), raised no objection to the admissibility of the documents.
Justice Anineh thereafter admitted the documents into evidence and marked them as Exhibits AJ, AK, and AL.
While explaining the significance of Exhibit AJ, Mohammed said the document established that the Federal Ministry of Finance had no prior knowledge of the N124.86 billion withdrawal. He added that his position was based on information supplied by the Office of the Accountant-General.
Speaking on Exhibit AL, the witness told the court that it served as formal confirmation from the OAGF that it was not aware of the N124.86 billion transaction.
The trial of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele continues as the prosecution seeks to establish the circumstances surrounding the disputed withdrawal and the level of official awareness within relevant government institutions.
