Justice A.R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, refused to admit as an exhibit a document tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing trial of a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu, for alleged money laundering.
The EFCC arraigned Yakubu after its operatives recovered $9,772, 800 and £74,000 from his home in Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna South local government area of Kaduna State in 2017.
The commission’s counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, had on November 5 tendered a document which the ex-NNPC chief filed at the Supreme Court to seek an order of stay of execution on a court’s order for forfeiture of the money.
The prosecution counsel presented the document to counter Yakubu’s claim that he only got to know from the EFCC that the recovered money was being kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Kano.
Yakubu’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), urged the court not to admit the document as an exhibit on the grounds that it was not the certified true copy of his client’s statement
Justice Mohammed, who relied on Section 35 of the Evidence Act 2011, said for such document to be admitted as secondary evidence it must be certified.
He said: “It is hereby rejected and shall be marked: tendered and rejected accordingly.”
The judge adjourned further hearing on the matter till January 14.
