At the resumed hearing of the alleged $25,000 bribe against Senator Shehu Sani by the proprietor of ASD motors, Alhaji Sani Dauda on Monday, the prosecutor’s witness, Bala Ismaila told a Federal High Court that he only saw Shehu Sani on Television while denying knowledge of what happened between his principal and the ex-lawmaker.
He was responding to the cross-examination of the Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abba Ibrahim.
The witness who spoke through an interpreter said that he has been working with ASD motors as domestic staff in the past 20 years and that he saw the ex-lawmaker at the Maitama house of his principal but insisted that he didn’t know what happened.
He also couldn’t remember the date that Senator Shehu Sani visited when prodded further by the prosecution counsel.
While Alhaji Sani Dauda who was also cross-examined by EFCC’s Counsel to confirm if he did offer bribe as alleged, he said he could only remember $13.95 as against the $25,000.00 being charged by the Economic and Financial Commission, a situation that alerted the Presiding Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo on how much the accused is being charged.
“I can only remember $13,950.00”, he said.
Amid the contradictions, the trial Judge, Inyang Ekwo stood down the continuation of the trial till 7th July,.2020.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, July 29, 2020, stated that he would revoke the bail granted Senator Shehu Sani if he failed to appear in court on the next adjourned date.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting Shehu Sani on two-count criminal charges, bordering on name-dropping and obtaining the sum of USD$25,000.00 (Twenty-five Thousand United States Dollars) from Alhaji Sani Dauda of ASD Motors, Kaduna, under a false pretence that he would use the sum to bribe the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to shield Dauda from EFCC.
Seeking to speak with EFCC’s Counsel after the court sitting, he declined, saying that he has a matter in another court.
