By Fola James
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state spent a whopping N1.4 billion state fund to hire lawyers in 2015 during the legal challenge against his victory.
This was disclosed by an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Abdulraman Arabo.
He told the court that the governor hired the immediate-past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro alongside other Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, to defend him at the election tribunal.
EFCC said this at the resumed money laundering trial of Usoro before Justice Rilwan Aikawa on Thursday, where Usoro is facing amended six counts of money laundering.
Other defendants in the case are the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Finance, Nsikan Nkan; the state’s Accountant General, Mfon Udomah; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uwemedimo Nwoko; and the cashier at the Akwa Ibom State Government House, Margaret Ukpe.
The investigator also told the court how Usoro gave back N55milion to the state’s Attorney General as possible kick back from the legal fees paid him by the state government.
But under cross-examination, Usoro’s lawyer, Offiong Offiong, a senior advocate asked the EFCC investigator, if “During your investigation you see that the money in issue was for legal fees of the service rendered to Governor Udom?”
“It is a payment made from government treasury for personal election tribunal pursuit of the governor,” the investigator said.
