A witness, Mr Ishaku Barnabas, on Wednesday told Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola of a Federal High Court in Lagos that he converted dollars to naira on behalf Haruna Jauro, a former acting Director-General (D-G) of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
The prosecution witness gave the evidence at the resumed trial of Jauro, who is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Jauro is standing trial alongside another accused, Dauda Bawa and a company, Thlumbau Enterprises Ltd, on a 19-count charge bordering on N169 million conversion.
The witness is a principal administrative officer of NIMASA.
Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, he told the court that his boss (first accused) usually gave him a bank account number which he forwarded to a bureau de change operator to transfer the naira equivalent of dollars he presented.
He said that after each transfer, the bureau de change officer would come to NIMASA with a teller, to collect the dollar equivalent.
“He would give me the teller and I would give it to my boss who then would give the dollar equivalent to the bureau de change operator, he said.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the defendants, Mr Olalekan Ojo, the witness said by the position of the first accused, he falls into the category of management staff of NIMASA to whom passage allowances were paid on yearly basis in dollars.
According to him, Jauro worked for four years in NIMASA, and received passage allowance for those years.
He, however, said that no query was ever raised against the accused over any diversion of funds.
“To the best of my knowledge, the management of NIMASA never accused or queried him for diverting funds of the agency”, he said.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola adjourned further trial to June 30.
The offence for which the accused was charged was said to have contravened the provisions of Section 18(a) of the Money Laundeering (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2012.
The offence of stealing is also said to have contravened the provisions of Section 15(1) and 15 (3) of the same Act.
