A fifth prosecuting witness (PW5) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Vincent Odafe, told Justice Inyang Ekwo court Thursday that due process was not followed in the payment of the N359 million approved for ‘sensitization’ of groups.
Odafe gave the testimony while being led in evidence-in- chief by counsel to EFCC, Farouk Abdullah, at the resumed hearing, at the Federal High Court, Abuja. He insisted that there were flaws in the disbursement of the money.
He said former President Goodluck Jonathan approved N359 million as part of the project to launder the image of the government through sensitisation of some groups in parts of the country.
Odafe, a former director, Finance and Account, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs at the period, now a director at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, added that the money was released to the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs where Tanimu Turaki was the minister between 2013 and 2015.
He said: “I am here to say what I know about the payment that was made on the N359m for sensitisation of Muslim groups in 2015.”
“While I was DFA, the permanent secretary then, late Taiye Haruna, invited me to his office and said he was expecting a special money from finance ministry and that I should effect the payment because it is urgent.
“He gave me the list of accounts to be paid, but I said there should be minimum documentation to be done before payment is made,” he said.
When asked by the prosecution what the minimum documentation was all about, the witness said: “There must be AIE (Authority to Incurre Expenditure) and there will be specification.
He said in this case, there was no AIE.