Witness Denies Bribery Allegations In Emefiele Contract Case

Witness Denies Bribery Allegations In Emefiele Contract Case

During cross-examination at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Victor Onyejiuwa, a prosecution witness, asserted that the purported $600,000 payment for a contract he executed for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was directed to John Ayoh, the former Director of Information Technology at the apex bank, rather than the embattled former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele…………CONTINUE READING

Onyejiuwa, who serves as the Managing Director of Resource Computer Limited, clarified that all his interactions with Ayoh occurred via WhatsApp. He detailed that he made an initial bribe payment of $400,000 in Lagos, followed by a second payment of $200,000 in Abuja.

Furthermore, Onyejiuwa emphasized that he had not received any formal authorization from CBN management to pay bribes for the awarded contract. Instead, he highlighted that Ayoh signed off on the contract award and completion.

Despite Ayoh’s departure from CBN, Onyejiuwa continued to engage in contracts with the institution until 2019, during Emefiele’s tenure, and received timely payments without any bribe requests.

The witness affirmed that he had never met Emefiele personally, conducting all business dealings through Ayoh. He stated, “I did a new contract with CBN and no bribe was demanded, and the payment for the contract was paid in due time.” He reiterated that the contract execution occurred during Emefiele’s governorship.

When questioned about contacting any CBN deputy governors to verify Ayoh’s authority to collect the $600,000 bribe, Onyejiuwa responded in the negative.

Additionally, he confirmed that Ayoh did not provide any communication between himself and Emefiele regarding the money delivery. Moreover, he clarified to the court that he did not present the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a letter requesting bribes.

Regarding the money transfer, Onyejiuwa stated that the funds were handed over to Ayoh in his office, with an IT department official signing off on the payment afterward.

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