The trial of ex-governor of Katsina State, Shehu Shema, over alleged laundering of N5.7bn belonging to the state office of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, continued on Thursday with his counsel faulting the claims that his client paid for unexecuted contracts.
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The principal witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nasiru Ingawa, could also not defend his earlier claims that the contract sums were inflated by the former governor when he was shown the exhibits including sale invoices containing the contract sums.
Shema’s lead counsel, Sebastine Hon (SAN), had shortly after the court session commenced on Thursday, asked Ingawa to take a look at some documents including those marked Exhibits A, H, I and M, among others.
The documents contained several attachments including sale invoices submitted by contractors and lists of people who collected money to execute some of the SURE-P projects.
The lead counsel then asked the witness to look at the documents before asking him whether information on the document did not contradict his ( the witness) earlier claims at the EFCC that money was paid for contracts not executed and contracts sums were inflated.
The lead counsel told the witness, “This is your statement and nothing to show on the exhibits that contracts were inflated. The invoices also showed that items were delivered.
“Also, the two invoices which were attachments to Exhibit A showed contracts sums of N100m and N41m respectively which also showed total execution of the contracts at the exact sum of N141m.
“Also, look at Exhibit H, there is no evidence of inflation of contract. I put it to you that due process was followed in the execution of the contracts. Contracts were executed and items delivered to the store of Sure-P based on documents tendered as exhibits.”
Responding, Ingawa said, “I am not aware of the exhibits and the documents.”
He also agreed that he was the Chief Accounting Officer of Sure-P, adding that all the memo for the contracts awarded were authored by him and not the former governor.
The prosecution counsel led by Offot Uket applied for the adjournment of the trial to allow for re-examination of the witness after Shema’s lead counsel closed his cross-examination of the witness.
The trial judge, Justice Hadiza Shagari, subsequently adjourned the case to April 23 and 24, 2020 for the re- examination and continuation of the trial.
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