An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s witness, Habibah Awalu has told a Special Offences Court in Ikeja that former Minster of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode paid N320, 000 (three hundred and twenty thousand naira) to secure the alleged forged medical records he used to get bail.
Habibah Awalu who was led in evidence by the anti-graft lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, at the resumption of trial, affirmed that the defendant paid the money to her in two tranches.
According to her, she received the N320,000 (three hundred and twenty thousand naira) in two tranches, of N120,000 cash and later N200,000 cash from one Mr. Mark, a staff of the defendant at his Abuja residence in Aso Drive.
Thereafter, a mild drama ensued in the court when EFCC counsel, Mr Oyedepo asked the witness to identify the said Mr Mark whom she pointed out in the courtroom.
But this line of questioning was vehemently opposed to by defendant counsel, Norrison Quacker, SAN, saying there was no need for the prosecution counsel to identify the said person.
The development led to heated argument between the two counsels, but the court ruled in favour of the prosecutor.
Subsequently, the witness pointed at one of Fani-Kayode’s aides in court as the said ‘Mr. Mark,’ who allegedly procured the forged medical report.
The witness was further asked to identify an exhibit, if it was the medical report she assisted the defendant to secure and she acknowledged that the exhibit P4a is a medical report she procured for the defendant.
In her evidence she said that sometime in 2019 Femi Fani-Kayode asked her to help in obtaining a medical report.
The second prosecutor witness said that she drafted out Fani-Kayode instructions using a pen and paper which she later forwarded to a friend to secure a medical report from Kubwa General Hospital.
Mr Oyedepo however pleads for an adjournment for him to tender the phone of which the witness used in reaching out to the defendant saying that he forgot the phone at EFCC office.
Justice Fadipe Abike therefore grants the request of the witness and adjourned the case to the 8th and 29th of April for the. continuation of trial.
