Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, , Maitama, Abuja on Thursday, February 1, 2024, admitted new evidence against former Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris in a trial-within-trial.
Idris, first defendant in a 14-count charge bordering on gratification, abuse of office and money laundering to the tune of over N109 billion, in a sudden twist, claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) obtained his statement under duress, necessitating a trial-within-trial to determine the veracity of his claim. He is standing trial alongside three others: his company, Mr. Godfrey Olusegun Akindele and Mohammed Kudu Usman.
During yesterday’s sitting, Hayatuddeen Ahmad, First Prosecution Witness, PW1, informed the court that Idris freely volunteered his statement to the Commission and was neither pressured nor deceived to do so. Also contrary to Idris’s claim, the PW1 disclosed that at no time was the defendant promised that he would not be prosecuted by the Commission.
Under cross-examination by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the PW1 stated that “There was no such deception of promise made to the first defendant. After he was cautioned, he was told that the matter would end up in court. The defendant came with his legal representative in the person of Gbenga Adeyemi, who witnessed the statement from beginning to the end. He signed to show that he understood the cautionary statement.”
