Date: 2017-01-19

A witness in the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki on alleged false assets declaration, Mr. Amazu Nwachukwu, has insisted that the foreign bank account being linked to Saraki actually belonged to the American Express Services Ltd and not Saraki.

The witness maintained that the disputed foreign account belonged to the operators of a credit card used by Saraki for a transaction.

The witness was re-examined by the Federal Government lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, to make clarifications in respect of his evidence in-chief and cross examination on the alleged foreign bank account being linked to Saraki.

He said, "I have made it clear that I never worked with the Fortis bank of London, I do not know how they number their customers' accounts and I do not have any knowledge of any foreign account belonging to Saraki.

"I do not have any account with Fortis bank, I never have any contact with the bank in relation to the defendant, I do not know how bank accounts are opened at the bank, I can only speak for my own bank."

The witness insisted that the only fund transfer form sent from Ilorin branch of GTB to his foreign fund transfer unit at GTB in Lagos, got burnt along with computers and other documents in 2011 and that he was not even at the unit in 2010 when the said fund transfer to American Express Service Ltd was made by Saraki.

"In the transaction the defendant (Saraki) made with my bank, Guaranty Trust Bank in 2010, the beneficiary of the transaction is American Express Services Ltd,

I can see the name of the beneficiary clearly and the bank account of the beneficiary based on the document given to me by the prosecution" Nwachukwu had on Tuesday upon being cross-examined by Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN counsel to Saraki, admitted that there was no evidence that the said accounts being linked to Saraki were the senate president's.

When he was to explain why he could not confirm the identities of the accounts, Nwachukwu said the documents confirming the transfer of funds were destroyed in an inferno, and that he did not see them prior to that time.

Also, when asked how he got the documents his bank sent to the EFCC, the witness said he was not the "officer responsible for the documents that were forwarded to EFCC", and that he has "no knowledge of that". The case has been further adjourned to February 8 and 9 for continuation of trial.