Alex Enumah in Abuja
The trial of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, over allegations of corruption has been adjourned till May 9, 10 and and 11 for further cross-examination of the prosecution witness as well as continuation of trial.
Justice Okon Abang adjourned proceedings midway during cross-examination of the witness by counsel to the first defendant, Akin Olujimi, to enable the court attends to other issues.
At the resumption of the case yesterday, the witness, Air Commodore Abdullahi Yushau, during cross-examination, told the court that he was not part of the bargaining process concerning a property at 19 Kumasi Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, purportedly belong to Alex Badeh Junior, however admitted that he made payment for the house on the instruction of his boss.
Olujimi asked the witness to confirm if the amount that was billed for the sale of the property was N300million and Yushau and the contractor Kabiru Salau bargained to bring it to N260million. The witness while stating that it was not correct, maintained that the transaction was between Badeh Junior, Salau and the landlord.
“The transaction was between Alex Badeh Junior and Kabiru Salau, I was not part of the bargain,” he maintained.
But when asked whether payment was made at once, he initially said yes, but later recounted, saying, “When Salau told me that the document was with the bank, I told him to make partial payment to enable the landlady collect the title deed and thereafter he should pay the balance.”
Also when Olujimi put it to the witness that he paid in five installments, Yushau said he cannot remember, but agreed that he paid in installment and not at once.
“I think the money was paid twice because the document was with the bank,” the witness said while responding to the claim of Olujimi that he did not pay in two installments. Also when he was asked to confirmed if the payment was made in his house, he said yes, adding that no payment was made in the office.
“When I receive money from my boss, I take it to my house and then asked them to come and collect the money.”
On how he gets the money to pay Salau he said, when he took the usual monthly money he used to take to Badeh, the former CDS asked him to remove the dollar equivalent of 260m naira to pay for the property.
When told that most of the evidence he gave in the court were not part of his statement in the EFCC, the witness maintained that he did no say in his evidence-in-chief that he deducted the said N260 million, before taking the monthly allowance to Badeh.
On the renovation of the building, the witness said he did not contract the renovation of the house at Kumasi Crescent to Salau but made payment base on instruction of his boss.
However, when asked if the payment he made were right in his eyes, he said, yes, adding that he was only carrying out instruction.
Also, when asked if he was a certified accountant, he said no but confessed to have worked as a finance personnel for 25 years.
