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The commission for economic and financial crimes, EFCC, has reduced Tuoyo Omatsuli, former executive director of projects, commission for the development of the Niger delta delta, NDDCC, in front of judge Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Omatsuli, together with Francis Momoh, Don Parker Properties Limited and Building Associates Limited, was tried for an accusation of 46 counts modified on the border with conspiracy and money laundering for the sum of over N3,645,000,000 billion.
The Court of Appeal, Division of Lagos, had on December 15, 2021, overturned the sentence on submission without the case delivered by the judge Saliu Seidu.
Judge Seidu had previously discharged Omatsuli, claiming that the three left defendants had a case to respond to.
Dissatisfied with the judgment of judge Seidu, the EFCC had appealed to the Court of Appeal. In addition, the remaining defendants had filed an appeal against the court’s decision.
In his sentence, the Court of Appeal had ordered that the case was returned to the Court for the defendants to enter their defense.
The case was, however, blocked, following the withdrawal of the judge Seidu in November 2020, thus pushing a new trial before judge Osiagor.
During Monday’s session, judge Osiagor established that the proceedings in the previous trial and the exhibitions offered before the judge Seidu could be offered and adopted in the current proceedings to save time and resources, above all because the parties were not contrary to the procedure.
The Court also established that the accusation had the right to call his witness, who would lay the foundations of the case and the tender procedure in the previous trial.
The accusation was later read the defendants
One of the counts recites: “That you, Eng. Tuoyo Omatsuli, Don Parker Properties Limited, Francis Momoh and Building Associates Limited, between August 2014 and September 2015, in Lagos, in the jurisdiction of this honorable court, being a procedure to trouble the illegal origin of N3,645,000 (three billion sixteenth and 40 years). and gratification and therefore committed a crime contrary to section 18 of the law on money recycling 2011, modified by law no.
The defendants declared themselves “not guilty” of the favorite accusation against them.
In light of their reasons, the judicial consultant, Ekele Iheanacho San, called the first witness of the accusation, PW1, Usman Yusuf Adamu, operational with the EFCC, to provide evidence.
Adamu said he was involved in the investigation and that 16 witnesses had witnessed the previous trial before the judge Seidu.
He added that 34 tests were admitted and marked ET01-ET34 by the previous test court.
He said: “None of the witnesses reside in Lagos. They had to travel from Porthancourt or Abuja to Lagos.
“Some witnesses moved abroad, while others are no longer reachable.”
Iheanacho, later, applied to present the procedures before the judge Saliu Seidu and exhibitions, citing and relying on section 46 of the evidence law.
He also informed the court that his request was based on the need to further reduce delays and expenses as held by the Court.
The defender did not oppose the accusation question. The Court ruled and admitted the evidence of documents and exhibitions, which were marked by Et 01 a et 34.
The accusation consultant also applied to adopt the previous testimony of the 13th witness of the accusation, PW13, Adamu. He also applied that all exhibitions should be considered read.
The judge granted prayer, since there was no objection from the defense team. The defendants applied for more time to allow them to open their defense after PW1 had closed his testimony.
The question was updated until 2, 3 and 4 July 2025, for the defendants to open their defense.
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