EFCC Tenders 794 Page Bank Transactions Document As Evidence  Against Willy Obiano

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

After having his no-case submission finally dismissed, the formal trial of immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willy Obiano, over alleged corrupt activities, resumed at an Abuja High Court on Tuesday June 25, 2024.

Obiano, who presided over the affairs of Anambra State, between 2014 and 2021, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC for an  alleged diversion  and misappropriation of N 4 billion security vote .

Obiano had earlier entered a no-case submission, insisting that the allegations against him were not  substantiated

But Justice Inyang Ekwo, while dismissing the no-case application in March 2024,  held that the Court will only be able to establish if the charges against him are premised on strong evidences and/or not, when he is put on trial proper.

At Tuesday’s  hearing, the anti graft agency presented two witnesses, Mrs Chinwe Patricia Egbunna an Onitsha based business   woman and a banker, Tochukwu  Aloysius .

Bank transactions documents totaling about 794 pages were also tendered by the lead prosecution counsel Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, as evidence and subsequently admitted as Exhibit PW-1.

Also tendered were another set of documents detailing the debts incurred on the various accounts allegedly used to launder the N4 billion.

However, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN,  the Defence Counsel said his client will, during the final part of  his address, raise objections to the Exhibits tendered and admitted.

In the nine count charge ,the EFCC alleged among others that Obiano, while holding sway as the Governor illegally withdrew  the sum of N4 billion from the Anambra State Government account, which was converted to foreign currencies and handed over to him personally.

Most of the transactions were allegedly effected from the office of the state’s Accountant General ,with a substantial part of the funds coming the internally generated revenue IGR of the state

Hearing on the matter will continue on Wednesday June 26, 2024.