The arrival of the defendant, Prosecuting and Defence Counsels
Agabi is now on his feet
Introducing other lawyers
Rotimi now in court
Rotimi just call in witness to the box
A now lawyer is now on his feet to continue cross examination
Rotimi Jacobs… makes some references to counter Erokoros point…
Noting that all the lawyers cannot speak at the same time that is why there is a lead counsel, …
Rotimi on his feet replying our lawyer argument
Saying Usoro is suppose to continue his cross examination
Not individally
D lawyer is on his feet to counter rotimi objection
Rotimi: they can speak in one voice through the lead counsel in one voice
Bt Rotimi is objecting
Rotimi: 6 lawyers cannot be cross examining witnesses, the court is entitled to regulate the procedures.
Rotimi: I urge your lordship to resist such….
Erokoro also said if Rotimi like he can withdraw some of the charges because they will not rush.
Rotimi: I should have the last say..
Assistant to Danladi : Rotimi the part which you referred us to does not insist that it must be the lead counsel
Danladi: this should apply during cross examination
Assistant Judge:This is the first time this kind of request is being made.
Rotimi:this is not the first time
Erokoro : my learned friend knows that the constitution provides that more than one lawyer can cross examine a witness
Umar: I hearby rule that Kanu Agabi ‘ s submission for Ilokoro to cross examine Wetkas is sustained
Ilokoro thanks Justice Umar for his ruling and asks for Exhibits 1, 14 and 16
Wetkas: making clarifications, said this is the one that what forwarded to our office. He pointed to the document before him
Wetkas: CCB also brought another copies
Erokoro: Did you have different versions of exhibit 1?
Wetkas: NO
Where is d original
Erokoro: is there any particular reason why you have not brought the original?
Wetkas tender the documents ‘
Erokoro: Have you ever seen the original of the exhibit 1?
Wetkas: he sounds negative
Wetkas: YES I HAVE SEEN IT. The court shouts yeeeeeeeeepa!
Erokoro: Why was the original brought to you. Why?
Erokoro: we are giving him another chance to clarify. Why was it necessary for you to see the original?
Wetkas: I didn’t demand for it
Erokoro: you must answer that question. We will remain here till night
Wetkas: because the original is the original. It was kept where the photocopy was
Erokoro: fiiiiiine. Thank you. The original is the original, he said in a mocking sarcasm
Rotimi: the witness has spoken. He said he didn’t request for the original
ROTIMI:It’s not for him to explain the conduct of the EFCC
Erokoro: No he must. They working as a team
Erokoro: It was necessary for us to see the original because it is the original, my lord the witness has spoken
Danladi taking notes
Wetkas:the photocopy is a replica of d original d four muuuuu
Erokoro: your evidence made the impression that the defendant was not a man of… That’s why he had to borrow money
Erokoro: your evidence made the impression that the defendant was not a man of ‘means’ That’s why he had to borrow money to build/buy house?
Erokoro: as matter of fact, your evidence especially exhibit 1 suggests that the defendant was an extremely wealthy man before he became governor
Wetkas: my lord I never said that
Erokoro:as a matter of fact ur evidence shows that Saraki was wealthy b4bcoming a Governor
Erokoro: do you have the asset declaration form of the defendant?
Wetkas: Myself? NO!
Erokoro: exhibit 1 shows that the defendant was worth more than N1.5b by 2003
Wetkas: I’ve not seen the document you’re reading from. Erokoro sends a copy to him to see
Erokoro: do you need a calculator? I can give you one
Wetkas going through d document
Interrogation now gets mathematically tougher
Wetkas is not happy and his hand is shaking while trying to calculate the money using calculator given to him by Erokoro
Wetkas: I’ve seen the defendants wife account in Ecobank… It is 1m 500k
Erokoro asked Wetkas to go to page 9
Erokoro: I want to bring your attention to the NAIRA… We shall come back to the $ and £ later
Erokoro: Have you seen
Appendix 7b under item 1a
Hands over to Wetkas..
Erokoro go to page six ex1
Wetkas: yes I have seen them
Danladi which bank asked Wetkas
Wetkas: listing properties, Mercedes bullet proof: 30million naira lexus jeep bullet proof-30million, navigator: 25Million naira……..
Wetkas: he went on and on… but now calculating…
Rotimi: it’s not the job of the witness to come here and start calculating figures
Erokoro: all the evidences the prosecution counsel has presented before this court are totally IRRELEVANT. He CANT defend it.
Court shoooouuuttsssss
Erokoro: all the evidence presented by the witness is not related to asset declarations my learned colleague has done all within his power to discredit the defence
Erokoro: all what ROTIMI is doing here is for his personal interest, Erokoro OPENLY alleged Rotimi!
Ilokoro : Over N260M on vehicles alone owned by the defendant before he even became governor
Erokoro: The defendant was worth more than $22m; $12m pounds; £2.6m before he became governor
#LESSON: Ise ni OGUN Ise
Erokoro: do you know how verification is carried out by CCB?
Wetkas: it can be by physical inspection
Rotimi keeps intercepting..
Erokoro: during your investigation, do you have any evidence that CCB has conducted any investigation?
Wetkas: No I don’t!
Rotimi objecting the new pattern of the cross examination. “You can’t be asking hypothetical questions,” he said’
Rotimi: you can’t be asking questions based on assumptions
Erokoro: I can ask question in various ways this is not the law school you cannot teach me anything here…
Erokoro: I can ask questions to check wether he’s intelligent; sincere; or whatever.
Wetkas: I had said earlier that we were investigating money Laundering before we discovered the Breach of the CCB..
Erokoro: Call Adamu Garba who chaired the investigation to come and brief you… He tells Wetkas
Erokoro: have you ever filled an asset declaration form. I have, he answered. When was that, Erokoro asked
Wetkas : yes
Erokoro: He form you filled… Was it like exhibit one?
Wetkas: I would not be able to confirm but it’s very similar
Erokoro: Has the CCB ever returned your asset declaration form to you?
Wetkas:I can’t remember
Rotimi: if it is a war, we are ready for it.
Danladi: NO! This isn’t a war!
Danladi: you should try not to intimidate the witness.
Erokoro: I’m sorry my lord. I won’t
Danladi is calming down Rotimi
Erokoro to Wetkas did hv any issues Wetkas no no no noo
Wetkas was given another document
Erokoro: Can you show this tribunal a letter from CCB where they refer to your letter… By reference, reference number, subject matter?
Wetkas: they responded on….
Wetkas: they responded on….
Erokoro: where’s the letter.
Wetkas: searching for the letter
He just found 1 dated 28 August 2015
Wetkas: that addressed part of our request letter mr Erokoro is referring to
Wetkas: Our investigations isn’t just about…
Erokoro/Danladi cut him, telling him not to burden himself with un-needed explanations
Wetkas: Now reading the letter..
Erokoro: what you are reading is totally irrelevant
Erokoro: Is it usual for EFCC to write a government department and the agency will refuse to reply?
Wetkas: I don’t have anything to hide about that…
Erokoro: you as government has something to hide. In subsequent examination, we shall prove that to you.
Erokoro: the only reason why I’m pursuing this reason, my lord, is that he said one letter has answered another letter.
I want to see the original letter.
Wetkas: we can make our request in anyway..
Erokoro: alleges that EFCC didn’t respond to a particular letter.
Wetkas: we treated it
Erokoro: is he proper that a government agency fails to respond to a letter, I’ve asked this earlier and Wetkas said NO
EROKORO: I agree that EFCC can respond comprehensively but let him show this tribunal the letter where they responded to…
The letter is dated: 15 Aug, 2015
2nd lawyer: do your best. Life must continue. If they ask you any question, answer directly.
That’s how lawyers behaves
Erokoro:D o you have a reply of a letter from presidency…..
Wetkas: I DONT have it
Erokoro : do you have any details from any of the law enforcement agent written from the investigation team before the defendant became senate president
Wetkas: I was not part of that theme of 2006 , I don’t have any
Erokoro : Did you receive any letter from the officer that handed over the case to you in the person of Adamu Garba.
Wetkas: No
Erokoro : can I please have a look of the 2006 investigation team report
Irokoro: do you have any correspondence between…?
Wetkas: No
Irokoro: do you know the property you’re going to own in the next 3 years time
Wetkas: I don’t know
Irokoro: your charge in … (Date) states that the defendant already knew what he was going to acquire in a future date
Irokoro: I didn’t say the defendant acquire properties in 2006
Rotimi: Irokoro is just confusing the witness
Irokoro: you already told this tribunal that you can’t know what you would acquire in 3 years time. Why isn’t that applicable in the case of the defendant?
Wetkas: I can’t answer that my lord. The prosecution can
Danladi updating his notepad
Irokoro: as at the time exhibit 1 was prepared, this property (so so so) hasn’t been acquired…
Irokoro made a mockery of Wetkas how he insinuated (long ago) that Saraki declared assets in anticipation (anticipatory declaration)
Irokoro: How do you think that the counsel poses the witchcraft to know what hat he will acquire in a future time?
Irokoro: it is very very obvious that exhibit 1 could not have been written in 2013 because of its content. Do you agree?
Rotimi intercepts
The prosecution tendered all exhibits. No defendant has made no comment. The witness should answer all our questions
Arguments erupt!
Serious argument btw Rotimi and Erokoro
Irokoro: You tendered exhibit 1 saying its… And I said that document couldn’t have been made in 2003. Do you agree?
Rotimi intercepted to help confused wektas
Wetkas: I’m not the one that signed the declaration form. It’s the defendant (in 2003)
Danladi taking notes
Danladi reads that Wetkas said “the declaration hasn’t been tampered.” Irokoro called his attention immediately that Wetkas never said so.
Danladi read to him again and Wetkas withdrawn such part of the statement
IT WAS NOT TAMPERED!
Irokoro: wasn’t all these why you didn’t show exhibit 1 to the defendant so that he won’t see it and say this isn’t what I signed!
Rotimi intercepted
Rotimi: cross-examination isn’t to harass anybody
Danladi asked Wetkas u wasn’t there,Wetkas yes..note taking by Danladi
Wetkas asked another vital question again. He referred it to another team of investigators. “I wasn’t there,” he said.
Danladi repeated that statement (I wasn’t there) while filling his divine book.
Irokoro: thank you my lord for quoting that statement
Agabi father now pushing for adjournment till next day. Danladi is enjoying interrogation with his father
Danladi: God loves covenant. The covenant is that we will close daily by 4 o clock.
Danladi: We still have 30 mins
Agabi making mild jokes out of covenant
Agabi making mild jokes out of covenant
Usoro now explaining what covenant is.
Danladi: I don’t want to appear as if I’m not a human. I’m a huma
Now the judge is talking in acceptance of adjournment till tomorrow
Danladi: calmly accepted to adjourn till tomorrow
Danladi now updating his law book as the tribunal adjourned till tomorrow Wednesday, 11th May, 2016.
Compiled by Musa Danjuma