The former Secretary, Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, PCFATF, Jalal Arabi, on Thursday told a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that Stephen Oronsaye concealed the identity of the Access Bank account he opened in the name of the committee.
Mr. Oronsaye was the former Head of service and is on trial before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck on a two-count charge with regards to abuse of office and obtaining under false pretenses. He is being accused of concealing the existence of the Access bank account opened in the name of the PCFATF.
Mr. Oronsaye is alleged to have used the account to receive N190 million, part of a N240million grant for the committee, received from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and converted same for personal use.
Mr. Arabi, who testified as the third prosecution witness, further told the court that the only legitimate account of the committee was domiciled in Zenith Bank.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket, he added that the beneficiaries of a total sum of N63 million in the Access Bank account, were not members of the committee neither did they perform any task for the committee or on its behalf.
“The committee opened an account with Zenith Bank, and there are two signatories, myself as the secretary, and Oronsaye as the chairman,” he said. “Since 2009 till date, the committee only maintained the Zenith Bank account and we had only three inflows into it.”
It was further alleged that Mr. Oronsaye only spoke of the account after being summoned by the EFCC.