A former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, on Wednesday accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of withholding some of the confessional statements he made at their office, amid the alleged N109 billion fraud charges instituted against him.
The ex-AGF disclosed this before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court during a trial within trial proceeding.
A trial within trial is a legal process in which lawyers determine whether a statement made by an accused person was voluntarily obtained by the prosecution.
Nairametrics recalls that the EFCC arraigned Idris before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in July 2022.
He was arraigned alongside Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited.
All defendants pleaded not guilty, paving the way for trial.
What Transpired in Court
Led in evidence during the trial within trial by his counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, Idris referred to statements he made concerning allegations of gratification and theft.
- He told the judge, “Apart from the 13 statements brought to court by the EFCC, I made a total of 16 statements on different days during the course of the investigation.”
- Idris informed the court that he was taken to the EFCC procurement unit three times, during which he made additional statements regarding the consultancy in question and the entire process involved in the matter.
“Three files were brought, marked as certified true copies, to the head of the procurement unit.
“I mentioned that the Minister (of Finance) approved the consultancy and that the Federation Account Allocation Committee, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation Commission, and the oil-producing state governors were all involved,” he said.
“I am surprised that all three statements were not brought to court, including the rules and the certified true copies,” he continued.
- Idris maintained that his lawyer was not present when he made statements to the EFCC on June 10, 2022; June 27, 2022; and July 5, 2022.
“It is not correct that I made the statements in the presence of my lawyer, Mr. Gbenga Adeyemi. The statement was dictated.
“None of the statements I wrote were video-recorded by my interrogators,” he added.
- He also denied writing any of the cautionary words in the respective statements, alleging that they were dictated to him by EFCC investigators.
Following his testimony, Justice Halilu adjourned the matter until July 17 for cross-examination of the former AGF by the EFCC.
What You Should Know
The ex-AGF and two others are standing trial on charges bordering on gratification, theft, and criminal breach of trust.
He is specifically accused of using public funds to purchase properties across Nigeria, but he pleaded not guilty.
On February 1, 2024, the former AGF’s lawyer, Chris Uche, SAN, alleged that the EFCC coerced his client into making self-incriminating statements under duress.
The allegation temporarily paused the main trial and led to the commencement of a trial within trial.
