Nigeria: Witness Absolves Hembe, Azubogu of Wrongdoing

28 February 2013

An Abuja High Court was Wednesday told by a staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hassan Maman, that once an estacode has been approved for an officer to travel, the money belongs to the said officer.

This is as he declared that the commission has never dragged any person to any court for failure to return an estacode meant for a trip the officer failed to attend.Maman, a Protocol Officer with SEC and the last prosecution witness, as the EFCC closed its case against Hon. Herman Hembe, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market and his Deputy Hon. Chris Azubuogu, told the court during cross-examination by counsel to Azubuogu Dr. Chuba Ikpeazu (SAN) that "in the case of SEC staff estacodes that was not used another trip would be arranged for them, and until another trip was arranged, he had done no wrong in keeping the estacode.

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