A
company says it is still being owed N24 million for printing campaign posters
for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
The Paste Poster Company Limited stated this on
Wednesday through its Managing Director, Olusegun Idowu, when he appeared
before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the
Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is standing trial
before the court over alleged involvement in a N4.9 billion fraud.
Standing trial along with Mr. Fani-Kayode is a
former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman. Other defendants in the
case are one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice
Rilwan Aikawa on 17 counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful retention of
proceeds of theft and money laundering.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the
charges.
Mr. Idowu was the first witness called by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prove its case against the
defendants.
While being cross-examined on Wednesday by Mr.
Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Norrison Quakers, the witness told the court that his
company got the poster printing job from the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign
Organisation through referral by a member of the organisation, Aderemi
Ajidahun.
Mr.
Idowu, whose company’s office is on Lagos Island, said one Mr. Oke related with
his company on behalf of the campaign organisation.
He said his company received cash payments of
N24 million and N6 million from the said Mr. Oke.
He said the N24 million the company was being
owed was outstanding from the N54 million it was to be paid for poster pasting
and consultancy jobs.
Mr. Idowu said his company was paid N30m cash
in tranches of N6 million and N24 million, while N24 million remained
outstanding.
When asked by Mr. Quakers whether he had any
direct dealing with Mr. Fani-Kayode, Mr. Idowu said he did not.
The case was adjourned till November 20, 21 and
22 for continuation of trial.
In the charges, Mr. Fani-Kayode was accused of
conspiring with the other defendants to directly and indirectly retain various
sums, which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds
of crime.
The EFCC said they allegedly committed the
offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015 ahead of the 2015 general
election.
Mr. Fani-Kayode has pleaded not guilty and
denied any wrongdoing.
Attempts to get the reaction of Mr. Jonathan’s
spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, to the claims were unsuccessful, as he did not pick
several calls to his phone.
- Premium Times
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