The money laundering and procurement fraud trial of Olajide Omokore, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, Victor Briggs (former managing director, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company), NPDC, and Abiye Membere resumed on Tuesday March 1, 2022 before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja with the defendants opening their defence.
Led in evidence by lead defence counsel, R.A. Lawal-Rabana, the 1st defence witness,
Olajide Omokore, who is also the1st
defendant, told the court that the allegations that he purchased houses for a former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani-Alison-Madueke, and cars for officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and politicians were untrue.
Asked specifically by Lawal-Raban, SAN, if the allegation that himself and the 2nd and 3rd defendants gave out a penthouse described as House 22 and 21 in Admiralty, Ikoyi, and Belevista Estate in Ikoyi, was true, the witness replied thus:
“My answer is simple. There was nothing like that. I did not do anything like that. There is no document to that effect. I did not give anything to Diezani as alleged.
“There is nothing between me and the minister that was more than official. I did not conspire with anyone. I had a facility of about $100m Dollars in Florida. Even here, the generators I am using in my office, two of them, First Bank gave me as one of their best customers. So, how can anyone say that I defrauded the government For what!?”.
