Ex-Accountant General’s Missing Confession Stalls Trial in Accused N109bn Fraud

The loss of one of the statements Ahmed Idris made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during an investigation caused the trial of the former Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, to be postponed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on allegations of N109 billion in corruption.

Neither the EFCC file nor those of the High Court or the defense team contained the statement dated July 5, 2022.

After the ex-Accountant General denied that some of the statements he provided to the EFCC in regards to the fraud were made voluntarily, the EFCC’s attorney, Mr. Oluwaleke Atolagbe, began a trial within a trial during the day’s proceedings.

Idris claimed that the crucial comments the EFCC wanted to use against him in the purported corruption accusations were made under duress when he was re-arrested last October.

In response to the accusation, Justice Halilu Yusuf mandated a trial inside a trial to verify the assertion.

Nevertheless, issues emerged when it turned out that a statement purportedly essential to the trial, dated July 5, 2022, was missing from the bundles of papers the EFCC had supplied to the court.

Chris Uche, the attorney for Mister Idris, also informed the court that the statement was not one of those given to him by the EFCC.

The attorney for the EFCC then requested a postponement so that he could look for the missing statement and serve the defendant as required by law.

After then, Judge Halilu Yusuf set May 11 for the continuation of the trial within a trial, noting that the EFCC had requested it.