24 October 2013, Lagos — Ihechukwu Ireogbu, a prosecution witness in the on-going trial of fuel subsidy marketers on Tuesday accused an oil marketer, Rowaye Jubril, of forging some documents to fraudulently collect N963.7 million subsidy payment from the Federal Government.
Jubril was charged to court alongside his company, Brila Energy Ltd., by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The witness, who is also the Managing Director of MGI Inspection Ltd, made the allegation while testifying at the resumed trial of Jubril before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court.
Ireogbu, during cross-examination by counsel to the defendant, Mr Raphael Oluyede, admitted that his firm had a prior business relationship with the defendant. He however, insisted that the company did not participate in the inspection of the 13,500 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) purportedly imported by Jubril.
Irueogbu also debunked the claim by the defendant that the company inspected the product between Jan.26 and 27, 2011, at off-shore in Cotonou, Benin Republic, saying such claim was completely false.
He said he instructed one Felix Iweka, a staff of Port Cargo Services, which is a subsidiary of the company, to go to Cotonou to carry out the inspection, but that Iweka later confirmed that he did not inspect ship-to-ship transfer of the products between the mother vessel, MT Overseas Lima and the daughter vessel, MT Delphina.
“He only carried out a survey on another vessel and not this particular transaction,” the witness said.
Similarly, Akinwunmi Olarenwaju, a staff of Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) said the agency made efforts to contact the purported supplier of the product.
Olarenwaju, who was led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Mr Seidu Atteh, said the defendant had claimed that he purchased the product from Napa Petroleum Trade Incorporation, Panama.
Daily Trust