Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, admitted new evidence against the former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, in a trial-within-trial on Thursday. The court session focused on evaluating Idris’s claim that his statement, obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was done under duress.
Idris, the primary defendant facing a 14-count charge involving gratification, abuse of office, and money laundering exceeding N109 billion, initiated the trial-within-trial, asserting that his statement was acquired through coercion. The trial also involves three other defendants: his company, Mr. Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, and Mohammed Kudu Usman.
Today’s proceedings featured Hayatuddeen Ahmad, the First Prosecution Witness (PW1), who informed the court that Idris willingly provided his statement to the EFCC, denying any pressure or deception. Contrary to Idris’s claim, the PW1 clarified that there was no promise made to the defendant regarding immunity from prosecution.
Under cross-examination by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the PW1 stated, “There was no such deception or promise made to the first defendant.” He confirmed that Idris’s legal representative, Gbenga Adeyemi, was present throughout the statement process, signing to indicate understanding.
The witness detailed the setting of Idris’s statement, recorded in the Chairman’s Monitoring Unit (CMU), with proper facilities. He noted an interview session involving all defendants, emphasizing the calm atmosphere of the CMU during the proceedings, supported by video recordings.
The witness identified cautionary statements made by Idris on various dates and clarified that the recording was done using his official Samsung mobile phone, later processed into a DVD. The video, featuring defendants and witnesses, was admitted as evidence marked “TWT-A.”
Ahmad revealed that the defendants benefited from a non-existent consultancy during Idris’s tenure as AGF, and the sharing formula of the illicit funds was discussed in the video.
Following cross-examination by the defense, Justice Halilu adjourned the trial-within-trial until March 20, 2024. Idris was arrested on May 16, 2022, by the EFCC for diversion of funds and money laundering and subsequently arraigned on July 22, 2022, on 14-count charges before Justice Adeyemi Ajayi.
