Banker Narrates How Ondo State PDP Chairman Loaded #500m In Hilux Vehicles

The Money laundering trial against the Chairman of the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Clement Faboyede, started yesterday.

During the trail the first prosecution witness narrated in the court how the politician allegedly took delivery of #500m few days to the 2015 general elections.

The Ondo State PDP chairman and the state Coordinator for former President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign organisation in 2015, Modupe Adetokunbo are facing three counts of money laundering before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed a case against them in June, 2018.

The trial which was opened on Friday saw the manager of a branch of Fidelity Bank in Akure, the state chapter, Michael Owolanke, testify against the defendants.

Owolanke while testify against the defendant stated that he was instructed by one of his superiors to release #500m to Faboyede and Adetokunbo on March 27, 2015 on the bank premises.

He said, “When the defendants came (to the bank), I put a call back to Martin, telling him that Engineer Faboyede and Mr Modupe Adetokunbo were around to pick up the cash.”

“He (Martin) said I should go ahead (to pay them). I got their means of identification and prepared a receipt for them to acknowledge that the money had been handed over to them intact.”

“I took them to where the money was kept at the bullion bay; they confirmed the sum of N500m packed in Ghana-must-go bags and evacuated the money into two Hilux vehicles and drove away.”

Through the witness, the prosecutor tendered the defendants’ means of identification submitted to the bank and the receipt issued for the N500m payment as exhibits and the court admitted same in evidence against the defendants.

Responding to further questions from the prosecutor, the witness said the receipt issued to the defendants for the payment of N500m did not have the logo of the bank.

Asked why this was so, Owolanke said, “For the purpose of this transaction, there is no logo of the bank on the receipt because they (the defendants) are not customers of the bank.”

He added that the N500m payment was not documented and could not be found in the record of the bank.

Justice Saliu Saidu adjourned the case till April 4 for continuation of trial.

But Faboyede and Adetokunbo have pleaded not guilty to the charges.