The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, April 24, 2017 presented its first witness to commence the trial of Franklyn Asekhamen, who is facing a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N11million before Justice K. N. Ogbonnaya of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Kubwa, Abuja.
The witness, Emeka Nkwor, who was led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, narrated how he met the defendant and entered into business relationship with him.
Nkwor, who is also the nominal complaint and Director, M/S Embridge
Global Concept Limited, told the court that Asekhamen expressed a desire
to conduct business relationship with him when both met at a Church in
Maraba sometime in 2007.
“He (Asekhamen) worshiped as a Deacon in
the Assemblies of God Church, Maraba, in 2007 and introduced himself as a
staff of FERMA working in the Managing Director’s office. He expressed
desire to doing business with me” Nkwor said.
The PW1 stated that,
in 2009, Asekhamen informed him of an on-going project emanating from
the MD’s office, adding that if he was interested to buy the job, he
(Asekhamen) could facilitate it, but at a cost of 20% of the expected
profit paid to the defendant as broker fee.
“That job was successfully executed”, said Nkwor.
He further told the court that Asekhamen in 2010, came up with another
project that was estimated at N10million. “Like the previous agreement, I
was also expected to buy the job, execute it and then pay 20% as broker
fee to the defendant” Nkwor added.
The witness told the court
that, he, however, raised concern when he discovered that, that
particular job offer was raised in another company’s name. He said that,
Asekhamen persuaded him and even brought a ‘letter’ purportedly written
from the company to allay his fears.
According to the PW1, after
reaching an agreement on the contract, which was expected to be carried
out in six weeks, he raised two separate cheques of N2million and
N8million in Asekhamen’s name, who cashed the money on both occasions.
“I called Asekhamen at the end of the six weeks when nothing was heard
from him, to ask of the status of the job and he told me that there were
delays on the completion and even showed me a falsified letter of
extension by FERMA.
“After sometime, I called him again, he told me
FERMA office was gutted by fire and the certificate of completion was
burnt. He, thereafter, requested for another N1.3million to perfect the
job completion.
“After much persuasion, I paid another N1million making a total of N11million spent on the project”, Nkwor stated.
Justice Ogbonnaya has adjourned to May 25, 2017 for hearing.
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